


The Ghost and the Modern Witch

by TangledMess



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Historical Magic, Inspired by the Ghost and Mrs Muir, Magic relics, Multi, Other, Romance, Slow Burn, ghost character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-02-16 18:52:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 64,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18697264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TangledMess/pseuds/TangledMess
Summary: Pippa Pentangle was rejected by the magic council for her new school idea so while she mends her crushed dream, she decides to buy a run down cottage in a little unknown village. The cottage is hundreds of years old and once belonged to a powerful family of witches and wizards but their name has long since been forgotten. As she works on restoring the cottage, mysterious things begin to happen and after she moves in to the finished cottage, she realizes there's a ghost living with her. Will the ghost accept her or force her out of the very house she put so much time, effort, and love into restoring? Will Pippa and the ghost get along? Will they find common ground? Will she achieve her dream?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love the movie The Ghost and Mrs Muir. It's from 1947 and it's wonderful. I recently bought it on dvd and fell in love with it all over again. This story was inspired by that story but with a magical twist. If you haven't seen it, give the film a chance. It truly is a classic and hopefully I can make this story just as magical.  
> All mistakes are my own

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” shrugged Julie, “It’s a mess.”

“It’s beautiful,” breathed Pippa.

They were talking of course about the run down cottage standing in front of them. It was a small plot of land with various steeps and nooks and uneven terrain. The cottage had half its roof caved in. Most windows were broken, some held splintered of old glass, the little bit that decided to remain holding on. The wood was in desperate need of a good paint job after being refreshed. And Julie very much doubted the inside looked any better. But when your best friend shows up on your door step with a smile to crack the world in half and drop the bombshell of buying this pile of ruin, well you couldn’t really do much aside from saying you want to see it. 

Julie sighed. She was still doubtful this place was a worthy investment. It would take months if not the better part of a year or two of fixing it up. And even then, Julie looked around, was this really a place to live? She noted the waves crashing against the cliffside further up north where the ruins of an abandoned light house rested. Its towering figure had once been beautiful but now bleached by the sun and the salt water spraying up from below, she couldn’t help wondering how it was still standing. The glass entombing the top was cloudy, the light probably no longer function, and who knew if it actually ran on electricity. 

She looked over her shoulder, noting the gravel road they drove on to get here, and saw the edge. She knew this place came with a trail leading down to a private beach but even that needed a serious upgrade before it could be walked on. 

“How did you find this place?” Julie asked, turning her attention back to the ruined cottage. Perhaps if she looked at it long enough she might catch a glimpse of the beauty Pippa saw in it.

“Oh, you know,” Pippa shrugged, “Was passing through it one day. Taking the scenic route and there is was.”

Julie shook her head, “Just a random appearance, hmm? Well, go on. Unlock the door and let’s have a look inside.”

Pippa bound up the three long stretched out steps, to the heavy oak door and when Julie saw it closer she worried it might fall off its hinges with the slightest push. To her surprise it opened quite easily aside from the ear splitting squeak the hinges gave at the abrupt movement. She noted the vines already entombing the cottage or what remained of it. 

“How old did you say this place was again?” She took a tentative step after the blonde, ducking her head, not because she was too tall but because she feared spider webs would pop out of nowhere and entangle her curls. 

“The realtor said anywhere between a hundred and fifty to two hundred years old. No one’s wanted to buy it. I don’t understand why. Look at how beautiful it is.”

As much as she wanted to share in her best friend’s enthusiasm, she couldn’t. The place was filled with splintered planks, the ceiling from the back part of the house caved in, in what appeared to be the dining room the vines from outside already crept inside and made itself at home. There was probably water leakage somewhere and mold and who knows what else. Her thoughts must shown on her face because when she looked back at Pippa she could see the slight annoyance on her friend’s face.

“It’s not that bad. It’ll just need some sprucing up, that’s all.”

“It’s completely run down, Pips,” countered Julie. “Why would you put yourself through this? I know the council vote didn’t go your way but that doesn’t mean it was time to buy…”

“What?”

“This dump. It’s not like you to be running away.”

Pippa huffed, “I’m not running away. I’m trying something new. Besides with a little magic this place will be right as rain and then you’ll see what I see.”

“I don’t know,” Julie shook her head. She wasn’t completely against the idea of renovating a place. Everyone had the idea of building something in their style, there was no denying that but this… Julie sighed then smiled, “I bet I could rope Dimity into helping out. She’s always bragging about how fit she is.”

Pippa laughed, “Thank you.”

“Right, let’s get started.”

***

Three weeks later

The place was beginning to look more like a cottage. As Julie said, she convinced Dimity to help out, who surprisingly didn’t put up much resistance to the suggestion. They started with moving all the broken pieces out of the main house, clearing up the staircase which was completely destroyed. With magic they floated to the upper floor and examined the rooms and the roof. It was best to completely remove the roof and with the sun shining high in the sky, it was best to do that now.

Ripping the roof apart took quite a bit of magic but Pippa was up to the task alone which gave Julie and Dimity the chance to clean up the main floor. Dimity took to removing the wood while Julie, equipped with gloves, hammer, and a bucket began collecting the glass from both the floors then hammering the rest out from the windows. 

Breaking for lunch, the three of them sat outside at the marble table and chairs that came with the property. The elegant stone work need some serious cleaning but with magic it became a breeze and was restored to its original appearance in no time. Now with a light breeze blowing and sandwiches being munched on, Pippa leaned back in the chair and looked at the cottage. She was tired yet not tired. There was still so much left to do on the cottage and she was excited for the process they were going through but there were only so many hours in the day.

She thought back to the first day she encountered this little place. A storm had brewed in the distance forcing her to stop her travels and when she disembarked, she wasn’t quite sure where she was. It was only when she turned around that she noticed she had landed in front of this very cottage. Something about it absently called to her, to her magic and back then she hadn’t realized it. She gave it the one over, feeling a bit sad at its abandoned place in this beautiful location, before she set off down the road. It lead to a small little magical village where the kind pub owner offered her a room for the night.

In the pub she learned about the cottage. It once belonged to a prominent magical family but they couldn’t remember the name and the family has since been lost to history. No one really dared go up there anyway. Most of the villagers believed it to be haunted by ghosts who always warded people off from staying too long. Some of the stories felt like childhood memories of dares where children dared one another to explore the abandoned place but got scared once they got too close and bolted. She didn’t say as much instead listening with raptured attention while the storm struck this place.

It was late in the evening, while she sat by the fire, the pub long since emptied that Pippa decided she had to have it. The more stories she heard, the more she wanted to claim it, to fix, to restore it, to find out more. And in the morning, she set off at first light but returned the following weekend. The small elderly lady who called herself a historian of the village told her the place was for sale, had been on the market for decades but no one wanted it, and she said if Pippa really wanted it, she would search through her records for any traces of the family that once lived there free of charge. Pippa agreed.

A day later she tracked down the realtor and bought the place. It was practically a steal for the price it was offered. It would cost more to restore it but given how the council rejected her plans for starting a school, Pippa thought this would be a worthwhile investment. Besides she always wanted a little place by the sea. Why not start a bit earlier than planned?

“Pippa?”

“Hmm?” Pippa came out of her thoughts, breaking her gaze upon the roofless cottage to look at her friends. 

“You okay?”

“Yep, just thinking if I should keep the original design of the roof or change it.” It wasn’t a complete lie for being lost in her thoughts because the realtor had handed her the original blueprints of the cottage when she bought the place and told her if she wanted to restore its design then she could or she could rip it down completely and build a new place. Somehow Pippa didn’t want something new. The original was striking enough. 

“I’m fine with whatever you pick,” said Dimity, “Man, you really got lucky with this spot. Look at that view.” She looked at the horizon, seeing the pure blue sea with its gentle rippling waves, and the clear skies with the sun high in the sky. It wasn’t too hot nor was it too cold with the wind. The weather seemed perfect. She took in the fresh sea air and smiled before looking at the blueprint. “I think I know someone who can build the inner railings like this. Granted he’s a bit on the older side but everything is handmade. Mind if I bring him by tomorrow?”

“Sure, how do you know him?”

“He’s my grandfather. Always loved working with his hands while carving wood but he has this extra spell to make it just right. I’ll probably get the rest of the wood cleaned out from the lower level by the time we call it quits.”

“Is there no end to your energy?” asked Julie.

Dimity laughed, “Mind you, I used to be the Star of Sky and I’m not that old yet. This is a cake walk.”

“Uh huh, I’d like to see you saying that in a month or two.”

Pippa rolled her eyes at their banter and turned her attention to the blueprints. She flipped the page and took in the elegant interior designs, the wrought metal work staircase. The one inside had rusted away, leaving bare traces behind. She noticed it led up to an observatory which, according to the blueprints, had a ceiling adorned with constellations and distant planets. It must have been relaxing up there and from the location of the room, the clear nights would have revealed an endless expanse of stars. The largest bedroom was directly across from it and it made her wonder about the occupants of the house. What magic did they possess? Why did history forget about them? Who exactly were they?

While eagerly awaiting the records, she prayed every night that the elderly historian would find something, Pippa kept busy with the cottage. 

Soon the weeks flew by then months passed. The progress being made was great. Better than Pipa had expected. There were days when she had to go it alone but she didn’t mind. Julie had her daughter to take care of and she swore she wouldn’t be bringing Mildred out here until it was up to her standards on safety. But Pippa knew Julie was talking about the walkway down to the beach. Until that got fixed and tidied up, free from the grown weeds and the numerous stones Mildred would be kept away.

Dimity, on the other hand, began helping her grandfather while trying to figure out her next career choice. If she hadn’t been sidelined from an injury, the Star of the Sky would still be an active presence in sport. But it didn’t seem to be bothering the athletic witch. Well, not until Pippa had introduced her to Julie and much to her surprise Dimity was a natural with Mildred. The little witch had the best of time with Dimity, playing various sports as she began growing into her powers. It also showed how good Dimity was with children but in a way it made Pippa sad. She was going to suggest the Star of the Sky look into becoming a teacher but that made her think of the school that wasn’t going to be built. A modern school for witches and wizards, yes coed, which had the whole council in a state of uproar and screaming about traditions of the past. 

This cottage gave her a much needed distraction. It allowed her to mend the broken tatters of her heart and while she wasn’t consumed with thoughts on her dream, she was able to relax and breath and work on this house. Perhaps when her mind was clear and her heart felt a bit stronger she would tackle the council again. For now she was content with hammering away at the work the cottage needed. 

Four months into the renovations, Pippa was forced to put everything on hold for two weeks as a nasty storm hovered about the village. For a minute she thought she was going to be chastised by the villagers, that they would blame her and the work on the cottage for the storm but people had laughed at the notion. They said this storm always came, same time of the year, lasting the same length, and there was no harm, no foul done in her restoring the cottage. Besides, the villagers joked, if the ghost was upset about her presence then she wouldn’t have gotten as far as she did. 

Pippa was thankful not only for the support of the villagers. Some occasionally came out to visit, bringing with them some food and drinks. They never stayed long. Old superstitions keeping them at bay but they did like that she was going with the original style. Of course, it would have the modern upgrades with running water, toilets, showers, a luxurious bathtub which was a must have in Pippa’s opinion, and electricity. But she was going to keep the downstairs fire place which would offer amazing heat throughout the entire house. 

But she was also thankful for having the roof already new and put up and the outer walls restructured along with the inner ones. The staircase would be coming in when the storm was over but the mold, the mildew, everything yucky was already taken care of. The stability was much needed because without it, Pippa was certain the cottage would have been destroyed in the storm. 

She had just finished packing up the rest of her supplies, deciding to head back home until the storm was over, when she saw a young boy running up the hill to her cottage, carrying a large yellow bundle in his arms.

“Miss Pentangle! Miss Pentangle!” he yelled, out of breath, hoping to catch her before she left. 

“It’s alright, Jack, take a breather. I saw you coming.”

“Very kind of you, Miss Pentangle.” The young lad, no older than ten, sat down, still clutching the package and huffed and puffed until he managed to get his breathing under control. 

Pippa offered him a bottle of water, which he gladly took and guzzled greedily before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. 

“I was supposed to deliver this to you before you left. I didn’t think I’d make it in time.” He handed over the thick yellow envelope. “Mrs. Maple says it was all she could find in her records. She didn’t expect to find anything but that’s everything. She’s not sure if you might be able to find more in the big city but maybe you’d like to try while the storm is here.”

“That’s very kind of her,” said Pippa as she took the envelope. It was heavier than expected. And she felt her heart racing at the thought of finally discovering something about the mysterious old family bloodline that lived here. 

“She made photocopies of everything. The photos were copied with magic. She hopes you’ll understand for not handing over the originals but you’re welcome to see them whenever you’re in the village,” said Jack before drinking the rest of the water.

“Of course, that’s not a problem. I hope she didn’t go to too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all, miss!” Jack got up, dusted off his pants, and waved his hand, “Bye, miss!” The boy took off down the hill just as the first clap of thunder sounded across the sea. 

Pippa looked at the envelope, gripping it with both hands almost as though it was a most precious thing, and look at the cottage behind her. The first drops of rain started falling and she was also glad to already have the upper floor in place. It was starting to come together, both outside and inside. Soon the only thing left would be decorating but that would come in a handful of months and she had plenty of time now that she had the records. 

As Pippa got into her car, setting the envelope on the passenger seat like precious cargo, she set off. But the blonde witch failed to notice the dark ghostly outline appearing on the upper floor where the observatory once existed. The ghost stared after the car until it was out of sight and lightning lit up the dark sky, revealing a pale face, high cheek bones, and a tight bun before the world darkened again and the ghost disappeared from the window.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has made up history in it

Pippa dropped her bag on the first chair she came across when walking into her family’s mansion. The storm was behind her and for once she was glad of it. She released a breath into the quiet house, making her way into the kitchen where she grabbed a bottle of wine, a glass, and some of that delicious leftover cake from her mother’s party a few days ago. She went into the living room, flicked her wrist causing the fire to come alive and begin warming the area. 

It was an understatement to say she was tired. She was exhausted. The renovations were coming together nicely but boy, did she under estimate how taxing such a project would be. The silence was comforting but for some reason it was too quiet at home. Pippa wasted no time in summoning the record player and making it play her favorites while she took to enjoying the deliciously rich chocolate and raspberry triple layer cake. 

When the cake was gone and she finished off one glass of wine, a comforting ease seeped into her body. She kicked off her shoes, poured another glass, then and only then did she finally give in to her curiosity about that thick yellow envelope. It had sat on the table all while she ate the cake slice, her eyes drifting to it, wondering, imagining. Yet she quelled the racing of her heart and the screaming child like voice in her mind telling her to rip it open. Some things were best left to enjoy. She didn’t hold too many expectations of what she was going to find in those records. Perhaps it would be rather dull and boring. A family who brought on its own decline and in the end didn’t really care about the magical direction of the world. But there was that small nagging suspicion the family had mattered, had attempted to make a difference, had lived in that very village for years.

Did another family curse them? Did they come across trouble from the fabled Fae? She hadn’t seen any faery rings around the property but she hadn’t look around that thoroughly. Maybe she should the next time she went up there. Even now she could cook up countless theories but without actually knowing the family name, nothing concrete would stick.

Pippa took a breath before picking up the envelope and carefully peeling open the flap. A slight tremble met her hand when she pulled out the stack of papers. Upon first glance, they seemed to be haphazardly packed inside regardless of size but when she began going through them she noted they were organized after the eldest year Mrs. Maple could find. 

1592- The year the cottage was built. The village hadn’t existed back then but the lighthouse was working. It was built by a man whose wife was terminally ill with a mysterious illness and she had always loved the sea. 

“Strange, no name,” muttered Pippa as she examined the handwritten record. She reread it twice to make sure she hadn’t missed something. But it was brief, to the point, and that was that. Then news of the cottage faded away for a good fifty years.

1642- A renowned magical family took up residence away from the bustling city with three young children. The head of the family said there was something magical about the location by the sea. 

And it was here that she came across a name: Hardbroom. The picture attached was rather faded but it looked like a happy family. A tall wizard with his beautiful slender wife, their two year old daughter in her arms. The wizard was holding their newborn child and the eldest son stood between mother and father. The lighthouse beckoned in the distance.

Flipping through the papers, she found that the family disappeared in the odd years of 1654 and 1660 but police suspected no foul play. Then the strangest thing to happen was the newborn daughter popped back up, unaged and unharmed three years later in 1663. Problem was she had no memory of what happened. The child was given to distant relatives but at the age of 17 she moved back to the family cottage.

The tantalizing newspaper clippings revealed little of what became of the witch, other than she was brilliantly gifted in potion making and published various books on the subject. The books were, unfortunately, now lost to the pages of history but the witch made such an impact people came from all places to visit her, to get her latest tonics and aids. 

A small article stated it was because of the last surviving Hardbroom member that the village was constructed. It was used as an in between for people who wished to purchase her potions and remedies and such and who wanted to talk to elusive witch. And for many years the village worked wonders for the last Hardbroom witch. But even the village talked about the strangeness of the witch.

Many wondered about where she had been in the years she went missing, where did the rest of her family go, what happened to the lighthouse? Because it was during the time when the Hardbroom family began disappearing that the lighthouse stopped working. Why? The villagers had investigated the place but found it to be nothing but an ordinary lighthouse. No magical tracings. Nothing that stood out against what it was used for. Perhaps the answer wasn’t in the lighthouse but in the Hardbroom family itself. The witch, herself, however never talked about that night nor about the years of where she was gone. She said she couldn’t remember, her memories of the dealings and events were gone, but some villagers suspected otherwise. 

Some villages made inquiries into the Hardbroom family before they moved out to the sea and it turned out Mr. Hardbroom was a well known council member. But his point of view and his ideals weren’t always a match to those of the other members. There were constant debates and it was discovered at one point a debate had come to blows between Mr. Hardbroom and a lesser known wizard by the last name of Hallow. Hallow was promptly removed from the council and Mr. Hardbroom was given a weeks worth leave which is how he had come across the cottage.

Mrs. Hardbroom was once Miss Morrigan from a very ancient bloodline until she married into the Hardbroom family after a whirlwind courtship and romance and the two were destined to be together. She excelled in raw magical power as well as held an impossible deep love of potions. It was Mrs. Hardbroom that began altering well known potions, finding cures for the mundane and the complex, as well as prevailing in the court systems with the latest of inventions from spells to smokes and mists to potions that would reveal truths behind murders, planned crimes, even find traces of evidence where no evidence could be found. 

The family, blessed with three children, were in love with the cottage, stating it was the ideal place to raise three children. The fresh air would do them good and the place surrounding the cottage offered up an abundance of ingredients for new things. Mrs. Hardbroom had decided to work from home while Mr. Hardbroom took a slight step back in his council duties. But overall nothing scandal worth popped out.

Pippa, however, kept returning to the years of when the Hardbroom family was suspected of disappearing. Those years were familiar. Something had happened but at the moment she couldn’t recall. She made the mental note of checking the library and the city records in the morning. 

Returning to the notes in the envelope, she noticed most of them were of achievements done by the last Hardbroom family member. But what was the witch’s name? What did she look like? That was the strangest part. If the witch had accomplished so much, why did all traces of her disappear? Even looking back revealed not the first names of anyone of the Hardbroom family. Why? 

Picking up her glass of wine, she took a sip while spreading out the rest of the papers. In all its thickness, the information was rather scarce and that made her feel slightly unsettled. Her fingers paused, however, at a shadowy picture. 

Slowly picking it up, Pippa noted the strong jaw line, the rigid posture of the woman dressed in all black or at least she assumed it was all black considering the picture was black and white. She could faintly make out the traces of a sharp nose but the rest was left in the shadows. Whoever took the picture either took it without permission or hadn’t the slightest idea of how to use a camera. 

She stared at the picture, trying to imagine what the woman was like, surely given the rumors and gossip mill, she wasn’t someone to be reckoned with. Powerful with magic and potions and somehow bearing a striking resemblance to her mother when Pippa compared the two pictures. She looked closer when she noticed an odd thing stand out. The mother, Mrs. Hardbroom, wore a pendant watch on a long chain. That very same watch and chain was now around the youngest daughter’s neck. How could that be if the family disappeared and the newborn daughter was found years later?

It was then another article caught her eye. It was the most recent and probably the last one written about the Hardbroom family. 

Local Witch Missing

Pippa read through the article, noting its vagueness. It felt almost as though the villagers wanted nothing to do with it or they didn’t quite believe it. The witch disappeared some time during the night. When the police investigate the cottage everything was still in place and it appeared like she was going to be returning later on but considering three days had already passed, this seemed unlikely. It was also noted by some villagers that the lighthouse gave off a bright blinding flash around three in the morning.

It was decided that the cottage would be locked up and left alone incase the witch did return. Months passed with no sign. At first a local officer would always check once a week then once a month until the house suddenly locked itself, refusing entrance to anyone. Villagers reported strange noises coming from the cottage during the night which eventually led them to believe it was haunted. 

After that it seemed the cottage and all things related to it was buried. The village wanted nothing to do with it. They closed up the shop where the potions, remedies, and such were being sold as soon as they ran out. Leftover jars and elixirs were destroyed, the building converted into what was now the pub. And the villagers swore never to speak of it again. Granted all those who once lived while the witch did were now long dead and their family members only knew bits and pieces but it was obvious no one remembered the name of Hardbroom. Save for little Mrs. Maple.

Pippa leaned back, rubbing her temples, for all the information she was hoping to obtain from the thick envelope this was not it. This vague bundle of mostly village superstition and assumptions, rumors and gossip, the odd piece of a record. But she did get a name.

At some point Pippa fell asleep on the couch. Her mother came in during the night and covered her in a blanket before noting with curiosity the scattered papers and photos. She picked up the picture with the witch’s face hidden in shadows and raised an eyebrow. It was old and if she had to wager a guess it was probably late 1600s, early 1700s. Summoning a quill and a note pad, Mrs. Pentangle jotted down a few notes and left it there for Pippa.

The next morning, Pippa found herself bundled against the sudden cold onslaught brought on with the night. She huffed out a breath, seeing her breath crystallize in front of her before she looked back at the note in her hand then at the small swinging sign in the grey little alley. 

“I hope you’re right about this, mom,” she muttered under her breath before stepped inside.

The little bell above the door chimed and Pippa was greeted with the musky scent of old paper and books. Endless shelves filled the little building, papers were crammed into every nook and cranny, thick leather bound books filled the shelves along with wooden boxes. It was a mess and given how there was no labeling system on any shelf, Pippa had to wonder how anything was ever found.

“Can I help you, girl?” asked an elderly woman, adjusting the thick glasses on her nose. But she didn’t let the blonde witch answer as she hobbled closer, “Aha! A Pentangle! Haven’t seen the likes of you in here in quite some time. What do you need?”

“Oh, um…” Pippa drew out the envelope, “I was wondering if you could make something of this.”

The elderly woman snatched up the envelope, dumped out its contents, and muttered under her breath. The pages began floated through the air. The gossip was tossed aside (returned to the envelope) same with anything that focused too much on the village. The important years were kept at the forefront, same with the rare pictures, and the few tadbits. “Hardbroom…. Hardbroom… Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.”

“You know of the Hardbrooms?” Pippa felt her breath hitch in hopefulness.

“Correction, I knew the Hardbrooms. And this date is wrong. It was 1543 not 1592 when the first of the Hardbrooms built the cottage.”

“What?”

“Oh yes,” nodded the elderly woman, “The Hardbrooms were quite famous until that little fiasco with the council. Now the council never wants to hear the name Hardbroom ever again. They’ve done a good job at erase most traces but they forget us, little record keepers, in the process.”

“What happened?”

The elderly woman held up her hands and shushed Pippa, “Tell you what, Pentangle, come back in hmm….” She stroked her wrinkled chin, muttering, debating among herself, “Come back in four days. I’ll have what you want.”

“Four days,” repeated Pippa, “Okay. What’s your price?”

“No price.” The elderly witch laughed, “Don’t look so surprised, Pentangle. I know what you’re trying to do and how the council sidelined you. You’re not the first. Still, your family has always been of the good sort. This is one of the few things I can do in return. Four days.” With that she pushed the young witch out of her little shop and when Pippa turned around it was gone, leaving her flabbergasted at what just happened. 

****

Four days later

The storm still raged over the little village and her cottage and in turn Pippa was restricted to the city. It wasn’t completely a miss. She was able to spend time with her goddaughter, the little Mildred Hubble who was coming into her powers… Well she wanted to say wonderfully but it wasn’t so. The child was clumsy and had a habit of making the wrong thing happen. Dimity laughed most of it off and took to showing her the simplest of simplest thing but when Mildred turned a dandelion into a worm instead of making its fluffy round tufts scatter, well it might have been time to start looking into a magical kindergarten. 

Pippa also checked in with the Star of the Sky to see how the staircase was coming along and she was blown away with what she was seeing. The wood was beautifully carved and construction. It would make the cottage look absolutely breath taking and in truth Pippa couldn’t stop running her fingers over the smooth and elegant original design. 

Afterward, Pippa, Dimity, and Julie went out for ice cream even though the weather wasn’t quite up for allowing sunshine through its dark clouds. Somehow, however, it was warranted. Ice cream made everything better and the small celebration was well earned. As they got their cones, Pippa made the detour to the little alleyway.

“You sure this is the place?” asked Julie.

“Why do you doubt everything?”

“I don’t,” countered Julie, “It’s just this place is kinda creepy.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to agree with that,” said Dimity.

Pippa rolled her eyes, “Relax you two. I’ve been here before. I won’t be long.”

They watched her slipped inside and gave each other a look. “She’s gonna get obsessed,” muttered Dimity.

“Kinda already is,” added Julie and sighed, “What can you do about it?”

“Offer support or run for the hills.” Dimity got a punch to the arm for the remark and grinned, “Nah, she’ll be fine. The cottage is going to turn out great.”

Julie hummed in agreement but she couldn’t stop the shiver from traveling down her spine.

“You alright?”

“Fine,” Julie said, “It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“There’s something off about the place, you know? It sounds stupid but whenever I’m there I feel like I’m being watched by something.” She thought Dimity was going to laugh at her and call her silly but the witch did neither of those.

“I thought it was just me,” said Dimity, “The observatory is the worst, I think. That room gives me the chills.”

“Do you think we woke something up?”

“What, like an angry spirit?” Dimity thought about it then shook her head, “I doubt it. If it was angry, wouldn’t we have already been kicked out? We’re still allowed to work on the cottage and Pippa’s fine.”

“Maybe that’s what it wants,” countered Julie.

“Alright, that’s it. No more paranormal horror movie marathons. We had one and I can clearly see that’s one too many.”

“What? That’s not it!”

“Isn’t it? Psh, you told me you weren’t scared and now you’re like, ‘Pippa’s cottage is haunted. Aaaahh! I can’t go back there.’”

“Haha, very funny,” said Julie drily.

“I can’t bring Mildred up there. The ghost might want my firstborn! Oh no!”

Julie gave the witch a warning look but Dimity didn’t catch and as the Star of the Sky opened her mouth to say something else, Julie took her ice cream cone and stuck it over the witch’s mouth. She bit back her laughter at the sight just as Pippa came back out carrying out a large cardboard box. “What’s all this?”

“Family records,” said Pippa. She gave a puzzled look at Dimity who was pulling the ice cream cone off of her face and wiping the cold cream from her lips.

“But I thought you already knew your family history, Pips,” said Dimity.

“It’s not my family’s records.”

“You don’t mean you found the original owners of the cottage,” gasped Julie.

There was a flare of excitement between the three friends as Pippa nodded, “What’s left of them in the history pages is all in here.” 

“Let’s get cracking then.”

****

Now this felt more like history. The box held a treasure trove of information. It turned out that the Hardbroom family was behind the building of the cottage in 1543 because Alfred Hardbroom’s wife was dying. She was a powerful witch but the problem was her body couldn’t contain the extent of her magical powers. While there were spells done and power funnelled from the young witch, it wasn’t enough and Alfred resigned himself with the fact he was going to lose his wife early. He built her this gorgeous cottage by the sea, away from heavy populated areas because of the wild bursts of magic she exerted and here she couldn’t harm anyone. The interest fact about the couple was that Alfred was completely immune to her outburst and while he tried to take as much from her as he could, it replenished itself at an alarming rate and weakened her body further.

Three years after the cottage was completed, Eva Hardbroom passed away peacefully while watching the sunset in her husband’s arms. He dedicated the cottage to her and made it a sanctuary for future Hardbroom families. He did not remarry or live on to sire any children for he died two years after the passing of his wife. On the same day but this time as the sun was rising. He left the cottage in the hands of his youngest brother, Wilheim. 

Wilheim Hardbroom married a foreign witch from across the seas who was fleeing for her life. She too proved to be quite a force to be reckoned with. Her name was Angela Kaiser. Wilheim and Angela Hardbroom went on to have four children. All living to full adulthood and while they didn’t live in the cottage until after they reached their late 70s, it was interesting to note these two were the first to construct the magical council. Wilheim and Angela wanted a safe haven for all wizards and witches and what better place than here in England. It was a secluded enough place with an abundance of nature and it was decided that here they could most connect with magic. 

Two of their children, Irma and Calvin went on to serve on the magical council, becoming advisors to the royal families and writing up witching laws and treaties with the ordinary folk. While the other two, Pietro and Alice spread out across the country. Alice would go on to marry a Prince of Wales and reform the magical community there, uniting them under a single rule and given the equality state she and her husband (who was non magical but supported her full right) found, ushered in a long standing of peace. One that almost saw the magic community and the ordinary folk live together until a war broke out fifty years later over the hand of another Hardbroom witch by the name of Joan and it would result in the magical community of Wales going into hiding. 

Pietro Hardbroom went north to Scotland where he lived in peace. Not really one for ruling or stately matters, he lived a simple life of farming and using his magic to connect with nature on a deeper lever. He ended up marrying a widowed woman, adopted her two children, and together they added two more to their lively little family. What happened to his children, however, was lost to history and that was probably another thing to discover in Scotland if she ever went there. But from the records it was obvious that none of them returned to England or Wales and the records of Scottish born Hardbrooms faded away.

Now the really interesting part, as Pippa later pointed out, was in the 1600s a family did take up residence in the cottage. A Raigar Hardbroom and his fiancé Margery Morrigan. They ended up getting married out at the cottage, not far from the lighthouse and had three beautiful children. A son named Wilheim, a daughter Gwen, and another daughter, Hecate. Raigar Hardbroom served on the council much like his ancestors did. The Hardbrooms always had one or two seats upon the council and while they always made strives to advance the magical community, to move them forward with the times, sometimes even further ahead than the ordinary folk, this time, however, Raigar faced obstacles.

There were a few prominent members of the council who refused to continue this foolish notion of moving forward. They argued such things was upsetting their balance and was forcing their children to lose the precious traditions they should be holding on to. It came as no surprise when one of those council members against Raigar turned out to be none other than the family who now held the title of the Great Wizard. Raigar had argued, passionately no less, that traditions had to be adapted, they needed to evolve or it would spell disaster for their community. It was a Hallow that stood against him and yes, the argument had almost come to blows. While the council sent Raigar away to recollect his thoughts and suspended the Hallow, the Hardbrooms were starting to be cast out.

It was during that time that the Hallows began using their wealth to bribe certain members to turn against the Hardbroom family, stating it’s been a long time coming but it’s time to let the Hardbroom family go. Also, if these reports were true, the Hallows were beginning to dabble in the dark arts, even going to the lengths of making deals with the Faes. 

But before that part comes, Margery Morrigan was also a quite influential name within the magical community. Not only known for her beauty and wealth but also for her extraordinary magical ability to harness the elements and the keen sense of brewing potions, she was much sought after. There was a story, rumor albeit could be truth and would explain a lot, that a Hallow was very interested in her but Margery turned him down on numerous occasions and when she met the tall, handsome, dark haired Raigar, it was believed she was smitten with him from the start. Poor Raigar had troubles expressing himself for he found himself just as equally smitten and it was left up to the parents of both families to bring the two together. The union was a happy one.

A happiness that unfortunately wasn’t meant to last. The Hallow bent out of sorts at the knowledge of the marriage then the birth of the three children dived deeper into madness and obsession. The name of said Hallow was lost. It appears the Hallow Family did well at erasing all traces of such a stain upon their name. 

This was the part where history and its records got a bit sketchy because the Morrigan family records were gone, vanished without the slightest trace and everything that Margery accomplished was also erased.

One part of the records state that Raigar was murdered and the council issued a full investigation but no obvious conclusion was ever formed. Some say that Hallow challenged him to a duel and lost. In revenge the Hallow ambushed Raigar on the way home and stabbed him to death. Others say the Hallow cursed Raigar, making a deal with the dark faes to come after the Hardbroom family, but most of the books on connecting with the faes were destroyed during the late 1400s after a truce was formed between the witches and wizards and the faery world. 

There’s no doubt in saying Raigar was the first to die. His body was never discovered and they say when Margery discovered it, she went mad. They say she attempted to resurrect her husband. The Morrigan family was well known for their dabbing in every aspect of the craft including the dark part. And they claim she succeeded but it cost her terribly. The resurrection of her husband came at the price of two of her children and then a portal was ripped open in the very fabric of reality to claim the youngest member of the Hardbroom family, Hecate who at the time was just eight years old.

Whatever did happen remained a mystery to this very day and there was doubt the truth would ever be discovered. The Hardbroom family was declared dead on the 7th of April in 1717. Decades too late some would say, decades too soon others would argue. But 1717 was the year where magic fell silent. Whatever future the Hardbroom family could have brought on was lost forever.

The Hallows might have been punished but there wasn’t any information on that either. It must have been a very private affair. The council stayed on its course until after 1730 when it elected a Great Wizard and since then most of the magical community has stood still. 

Still shifting through the records, Pippa didn’t find anything about the supposed return of the youngest Hardbroom child as the village had stated. The village claimed Hecate Hardbroom came back. She was discovered unharmed and unaged years later and brought up by a distant Aunt but there were no records of a distant aunt nor was there any record of a Hardbroom coming back. The village popped up only once in the records to say the cottage was magically locked up and would remain in the Hardbroom name until it fell into ruins and Pippa ended up buying it. 

Dimity let out a low whistle, returning the few sheets of paper she had to the table, and leaned back in her chair, “And I thought some books held drama. Look at this family history.”

“Now I can see why the village would think the cottage is haunted,” said Julie, “Old superstition tied in with the mystery of the truth.”

Pippa was quiet for a long time. Then she pulled out the picture of the woman who’s face was hidden mostly in shadows. There was something intriguing about her. Was she a Hardbroom? Was she the youngest who disappeared then supposedly came back? Was she Hecate Hardbroom?

The three spent most of the night discussing the Hardbroom family line, going over the records again, following some of the smaller family members, seeing the drama unfold, the affairs, the marriages, the elicit and the hidden romances, and so much more. It was true the Hardbroom family was one of the oldest and most well known but why would the council cover it up, erase it like the family hadn’t mattered at all when it was obvious with the Hardbroom family line the magical community wouldn’t have evolved to what it was until 1717. 

Pictures, old wedding images, baby pictures, death pictures, some family heirloom images were examined, poured over. Pippa was searching for the woman’s true face then perhaps they could put an identity to one mystery alas such continued to elude her. It was late into the night when Pippa bid farewell to Dimity and Julie and cleaned up the living room of their takeout dinner and the bottles of wine and empty glasses. 

Slowly she began putting everything back into the cardboard box. Pausing at the very end to look at the mysterious woman, “Who are you?”

****

Back at the cottage, the storm was coming to an end. The water was receding back to normal level, seeping deep into the dry grass and stones. Slowly the sun would come out of hiding in the morning and when its gentle rays fell upon the cottage, it would illuminate the rose bushes growing underneath the window of the observatory. Inside of the observatory, the walls began to bleed a midnight sapphire blue, staining the white walls, and soon stars in their proper constellations and the distant planets would line the ceiling and the walls. An old telescope, polished and gleaming bronze would stand, poised at the window, directed high into the sky. And slowly, oh so slowly, shelves began making their way along the walls. Soon to be filled with various books, many of which Pippa and the rest of the outside world never heard of.

Inside the observatory, the ghost materialized. It looked around, once, twice, then satisfied everything was coming together raised its hand to the window. The sliding glass opened a fraction, allowing the soft sea breeze, the fresh rain, and the newly blooming roses to fill the room. Then as the shelves were stabilizing, the ghost disappeared again.

When Pippa arrived the next day, she noticed the curtains swaying from the observatory and frowned. The room wasn’t finished. And when Dimity and Julie arrived a few minutes later with the staircase and other materials, an eerie feeling traveled through the three of them as they stared at the swaying curtains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A ghost who can fix up a room by herself. My, my, isn't that handy? Stay tuned for next chapter when interactions may quite possibly happen. Stay fantastic, my readers!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First meeting ahead! Brief but it's there  
> All mistakes are mine

“Let’s put in the staircase,” said Pippa drawing her gaze away from the curtains. She unlatched the back of the pickup before searching her pockets for the cottage keys.

Dimity gave a look to Julie then sighed, “So we’re not going to talk about the curtains.”

“Could have been one of the villagers,” shrugged Pippa, making her way to the door. Her mind was trying to find a logical explanation for the curtains but without having stairs they couldn’t fully explore the room. Of course that was a poor excuse. They were witches. They used magic before to get to the second floor and could easily do so again but for some unexplained reason Pippa didn’t want to. She didn’t want to know if the cottage was haunted. At least not with her friends around which made it seem selfish. 

Dimity chuckled, “Right. A villager who’s scared shitless of this place.”

“Dimity!”

“What?” The Star of the Sky shrugged then dropped her arms. “Alright, fine. Let’s not talk about the haunted room or the haunted curtains.”

Pippa shook her head and unlocked the door. Upon it swinging open, she could smell fresh roses fluttering throughout the house and thought it was odd. There weren’t any flowers in the garden nor did any of them leave flowers in the house before the storm. Carefully she walked the main floor, peering into every room but nothing showed any signs of an intruder. The cottage was exactly as she left it two weeks ago.

Julie pulled the gloves from her pocket after rolling up her sleeves then looked back at the cottage. The curtains were strange. There was no doubt about that. None of them invested in any sort of thing and before they left the observatory was far from being finished. Her attention was drawn to her best friend as the blonde witch stepped out of the cottage with a puzzled expression before walked around the side. “So now you think it’s haunted?”

“Oh, quiet you,” said Dimity, “And that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying…” She paused, trying to find the words she wanted to say but even she wasn’t convinced of what she wanted to say. Dimity shook her head, “Never mind. Let’s get this staircase in place then we can see what’s going on in the observatory.”

“You alright, Pippa?” asked Julie when the blonde witch came back.

It took her a moment but Pippa smiled, “Yes, fine.”

Both of them knew it was a lie. Whatever Pippa saw or thought she saw, had her spooky slightly. Thankfully neither of them pushed the issue and with magic they began lifting the various pieces of the staircase and guiding the wood piece inside the house. It took the better part of three hours to put in the staircase even with magic but it had to be absolutely perfect. Pippa consulted the blueprints several times and when she made a final decision, the staircase was hammered into place. After the staircase came the railing which was made up of wood and wrought metal. And then they placed a protective sheen across the wood.

By the end of it, they took a break for lunch which allowed the protective sheen it’s time to dry and set. The trio focused a bit more on the lower levels, Pippa bringing in the paint cannisters for each room along with paintbrushes and the like. Julie took to the kitchen where she put on the mud and started tiling the walls with a beautiful ceramic pattern. Dimity, on the other hand, checked out the dining room and decided to work on the molding around the fireplace. 

Magic would have had this cottage restored faster but there was something relaxing about doing most of the work by hand. Was it more taxing? Yes. Did it leave them more exhausted? You bet. But it always made them feel like they accomplished something, like they were doing something worthwhile in restoring the cottage. It felt like they were breathing new life into something that was allowed to fall to ruins. This beautiful, breath taking cottage was being rebirthed while the world continued turning. It almost felt like history was coming back alive.

When the sun began setting and the heavy floodlights were turned on, illuminating the main floor in artificial brightness, Dimity had just returned from picking up three large pizzas and two bottles of wine. Given all their work, the three friends figured they might as well spend their first night in the cottage. Sleeping bags were rolled out by the fireplace, the main floor bathroom was fully functioning (completed before the storm hit) and with the brisk sea breeze coming in only when the windows were open, the cottage was actually pretty cozy even without the fireplace on.

Pippa sat with her back against the wall, her legs stretched out, a full wine glass resting on the fireplace step and a slice of pizza on her paper plate. Her warm chocolate eyes glanced around the room. There was still much left to be done in the living room, which also housed a fire place. Strange that there were two on opposite ends of the cottage but given the fact electricity and central heating hadn’t been invented until way after the death of the Hardbroom line, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. 

“What’s on your mind?” asked Julie, “You’ve been distracted all day.”

“There are roses growing below the observatory,” Pippa said quietly. 

“What? But the grounds are overgrown with weeds.” Dimity had noted the garden when she first saw it and Pippa had said it was something they would probably tackle last.

“Not the backyard.” Pippa brushed the crumbs off her fingers and reached for her wine glass, “It’s… well…” She paused, remembering the sight of the backyard when she went round the cottage. “It’s perfect.” When she looked up from her wine glass, she frowned, “What? Go look if you don’t believe me.”

Dimity and Julie exchanged a nervous glance. Pippa shook her head, drinking from her glass before getting up. “Come on, you two. I’m not going crazy.”

She led her friends from the living room, down the hallway and into the kitchen where the door leading to the back yard was nestled. Unlatching the lock, she pushed opened the door and stepped outside. One arm curled around her in a half hug, she drank some wine, nodding at the backyard. 

And there it was. What was once overgrown weeds was now luscious green grass that shined silver under the full moon. The ground was perfectly leveled, making it ideal for future outings in the sun. On the left appeared to be a patch of fresh soil just waiting to be planted with a variety of herbs and vegetables and fruits. And when they looked right, sure enough there were several rose bushes directly beneath the observatory window. The observatory was large enough that it spread across the section on the upper floor and granted it two windows. The larger window was in the back offering a full on view of the sea and the sky while a smaller window allowed anyone inside of the observatory to see who their visitor was. It was the smaller window that boosted the curtains because they saw now that the larger window was free.

Looking up at the window, Dimity noticed the slight glint of something metallic. “We didn’t put anything into the observatory, did we?”

“No, why?”

“So what’s that then?” Dimity pointed at the window where sure enough the metallic item glinted under the moon rays.

“One way to find out,” said Pippa. She turned and walked back into the kitchen. It took Julie and Dimity a moment to realize what their friend had planned and quickly rushed after her.

“Pippa, wait!”

“What? Don’t tell me you believe that gossip? This cottage is not haunted.” Pippa grabbed a flashlight, her wine glass already left behind on the kitchen counter still half full, and stopped just in front of the staircase. She steeled herself. It was ridiculous believing the cottage to be haunted. Ghosts didn’t exist and even if they did they certainly weren’t going to drive her from this cottage. She was tired of people, living and dead, attempting to push her in some direction or whatnot. Still, it didn’t hurt having some backup. “Are you guys coming?”

It would have been a bit funny but there was a slight tremble in Pippa’s voice that quashed any laughter either would have had. Julie and Dimity hurried through the kitchen and to the staircase. Pippa turned on the flashlight and slowly moved the beam of light along the wooden stairs. All three of them looked together upwards where the upper floor greeted them in silence. Dimity made the notion to nudge Pippa forward gently but Julie slapped her hand aside, giving her a warning look. If they were going to explore the creepy observatory then they were going to go at Pippa’s pace because… well, why rush?

Pippa took the first few stairs, half expecting there to come a terrible squeak, but the stairs were new. There was no reason for them to squeak. Yes, this was an old house but most of the old was replaced with the new. So there was no reason for any sort of odd noise. She kept repeating that in her mind as she climbed further along the staircase. Julie was right behind her and Dimity a few steps below. 

The slightest noise would have made all three of them jump and no one was convinced they wouldn’t all run back downstairs but nothing came. 

The upper floor was quiet. Still filled with the materials they needed to fix it up and restore the bedrooms and such. Most rooms didn’t have a door except for one. A deep mahogany door greeted the three friends at the end of the hall. Behind that very door lay the observatory. 

“Who put the door in?” whispered Julie.

“Probably the ghost,” replied Dimity in an equally hushed tone.

“There is no ghost!” said Pippa causing the door to open of its own accord. 

The three friends looked at each other then slowly back to the ajar door. Julie placed a hand on Pippa’s shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. With a slight nod, the three shuffled forward. Pippa trained the flashlight on the door. All of them were expecting something. Minds wandering as they drew closer and closer then Pippa slowly reached out. Her fingers touched the cool wood and she pushed it inwards. It swung open with ease, revealing a dark room.

Stepping inside the room, the curtains swayed from the breeze coming in from the front. The window was already open a bit. The light from the flashlight slowly swept through the room and someone gasped. The walls were painted a dark sapphire. Stars and distant planets were carefully etched into what appeared to be the night sky but the most shocking part of all was the fact that the stars were moving. The planets were rotating. Somewhere the moon in the sky matched the moon on the ceiling, shining a silver light of its own, and the tentative rotating was hypnotizing.

When the witches finally looked away from the ceiling, they noticed the Persian rug nestled in the center of the room. It was painstakingly handmade with interwoven dark blues, rich purples, and gold. A heavy wooden desk sat at the deeper part of the room lined with a bottle of ink, an exquisite raven feather quill, golden point at the front, and a candle already burned halfway down.

Pippa was the first to step further into the room. Her flashlight circling the room. She kept being drawn in by the moving ceiling but she took noticed of the shelves lining the walls. All of which were already filled with heavy texts and tomes, leather bound books and rolled up scrolls. There was a section that had the imprint of a flower but she didn’t get a close enough look when a sudden creak drew all of their attention to the large window. 

Before it was a telescope. An old one and Pippa was certain it could only see so far given the advancements made today but it must have been part of cottage for centuries. The odd part was it moving of its own accord. Slowly the knob was being twisted, carefully dialed while being tilted further up.

Dimity was the first to step closer to the door. She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat, absently reaching out to tug on Julie’s sleeve. The other stood frozen at the moving telescope. Pippa’s flashlight moved toward the flashlight, her hand trembling ever so slight, but now would be the time to discover the truth. Was this place haunted or was someone playing a trick on them? 

At first nothing. The telescope kept adjusting itself then when the light was reflected off of the bronze, a sudden shape made itself known. The dark shadow drew back from the telescope, rising to its full height. Slowly Pippa moved her flashlight in accordance. She caught sight of the pendant watch and the long chain. Moving the flashlight higher she almost caught a glimpse of the intruder’s face before the flashlight went out.

“I’m out!” yelled Dimity. She grabbed Julie’s hand, pulled her from the room, racing down the hall and to the stairs. “Pippa! Let’s go!”

But Pippa didn’t move. Her eyes were locked onto where the ghost had been. She heard her heart pounding in her chest, the sound echoing in her ears. A blinding light appeared, signalling the return of her flashlight and its beam was oh so very close to her. When she looked down she could see traces of the lace corset the woman across from her was wearing. Faint traces of an elegant but old design. Her hand was shaking when she saw the pendant watch and she willed herself to move the light higher. 

The pale creamy expanse of a neck was exposed, followed by the sharp jaw line. She couldn’t bring herself to move her hand higher but the light exposed enough. She saw the traces of high cheekbones, the sharp eyebrow, dark eyes, and hair pulled back too tightly for comfort. But she couldn’t bring herself to look away from those eyes. Her mouth went dry. “Who are you?” she managed to say after what felt like hours of struggling to find her voice. 

The ghost arched a sharp eyebrow, moving her hand over the flashlight and the light went out, casting the room back into darkness. It took a few seconds for Pippa’s eyes to adjust to the moonlight filtering through. The ghost no longer in such close proximity instead returning to the telescope. 

Pippa made the mistake of stepping closer. The ghost held up her hand. Her attention on the night sky before looking back at the intruder. “Get out.”

The two words sent a chill down her spine. She almost thought she didn’t hear them properly but sure enough the ghost had spoken. Pippa opened her mouth to protest but the ghost was faster. A sudden force pushed her from the room and slammed the door shut. She heard the loud click of a lock falling into place. 

“Pippa!”

“I’m alright,” she yelled, still staring at the door and realization sank into place. She had just been kicked out of a room in her cottage. A room full restored by the dead, by a ghost. And suddenly she wasn’t sure how she should feel about that.

That night the three still went through with spending the night. The ghost appeared to be comfortable in the observatory and Dimity already decided never to step foot in that room again. Sure, she’d help with the upper floor but there was no way she’d ever set foot in the observatory again even if the door was left open. 

Julie wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. She wanted to say ‘I told you so’ but that felt oddly out of place. No one wanted to be right about a ghost. Instead this odd silence fell between the friends. It was quiet still as they got ready for bed and slipped into their respective sleeping bag. The fire was crackling gently in the fireplace, offering a warmth but still they felt cold from the very knowledge that a ghost had taken up residence in the observatory. 

“Is it friendly?” asked Julie breaking the silence.

“She,” corrected Pippa.

“What?”

“The ghost is a woman.”

“Oh boy,” sighed Dimity, snuggling deeper into her sleeping bag, “We could call the ghostbusters.”

“Don’t you dare,” said Pippa, “She seems content in the observatory. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Are you honestly fine with a ghost living here?” 

“I don’t see the harm in it.”

Dimity shrugged and stared at the ceiling. “It’s odd though, isn’t it? Villagers thought it was haunted. But there wasn’t anything here until we started putting the house together.”

“Maybe it’s not a ghost. Maybe it’s a ward that’s been activated to keep people at bay,” suggested Julie, “It’s no surprise what the old did to keep people off their property.” 

Pippa stayed silent as her friends debated back and forth on the type of ward that could have been hidden in the property surrounding the cottage. It was fair to say she didn’t buy it because wards couldn’t restore rooms and return shelves and books and the like nor could wards turn the backyard into what it was now. No, wards were out of the question. It had to be something else. She wasn’t quite sure if she believed the woman upstairs to be a ghost. At least not a hundred percent. 

She looked in the direction of the staircase, half expecting to see the ghost venture downstairs but was greeted only with the darkness of the house. She felt… what? Disappointed? Relief? She didn’t know. It would be a long time before she fell asleep that night. Her mind alive with thoughts of the ghost, of the face she had seen even though it was half cloaked in shadows, and her insatiable curiosity to know more. Pippa made a mental note of what shopping she required when she was back in the city before sleep finally did claim her.

It was then the ghost ventured downstairs. Looking around at the renovations taking place, somewhat surprised at the original design being kept given how modern the woman was who walked into her observatory. The ghost didn’t know what year it was but such an inquiry could be made later. Instead, she walked down the hall, pausing in the living room to peer at the three sleeping witches. Of course they were witches. The ghost could sense the magical power flowing through them but she was most curious about the blonde who dared invest so much here.

Perhaps another time. The ghost turned away from the living room and walked down the hall. With the wave of a pale hand, the kitchen door unlocked and swung open. Stepping outside, the ghost took in the moonlit sky, unable to feel the soft breeze nor smell the sea and the memories of such were muddled. No longer clear causing the sorrow to sink in, the reality about her situation but there was no point in dwelling on it. 

Slender fingers brushed across the growing roses. Their beauty unchanged and yet always fresh with each given spring and summer. That was the gift of nature. With the wave of her hand, the ghost walked over to the plot of soil and began spreading the seeds. Witches required ingredients for all purposes and perhaps there was a thing or two to learn in this modern world or perhaps there were things she could offer to teach in return. Of course, that mattered on how well they would get along. The ghost could see the other two being a nuisance and hoped they wouldn’t be joining in taking up residence here.

The moon rolled in the sky, offering more light across the soil patch where seeds were being dropped in and covered. A small rain cloud appeared above the patch when she was finished, gifting enough water to bring the seeds to life and suddenly the ghost vanished as the kitchen door closed on its own. 

****

It would take five more months before the cottage was completed. The ghost remained out of sight which Pippa wasn’t too fond of. She wanted to know more about the mysterious ghost even with the massive workload still ahead of them. Surprisingly the night in question wasn’t mentioned by Julie or Dimity. Perhaps it was better out of sight and mind that way. Neither were too convinced on what they saw. Sure they saw the telescope moving and adjusting on its own but they saw something black. Not exactly a ghost or any solid worthwhile shape. And Pippa felt too exhausted bringing it up with them when they kept having a run around. Instead she dropped it and poured her energy into finishing up the cottage.

In the last month, she couldn’t hide her excitement. The up stairs had one bedroom and one bathroom left to do. The electrician was already here to set up the modern lightning which took about a full day. The plumbing was done a while ago so there shouldn’t be any leaks or anything of that matter. Today people would be coming to see if they could install an in ground sprinkler system but if they had to rip up the backyard, she’d send them away. The backyard was too beautiful to destroy.

As the months went on, she saw the various vegetables and fruits growing. At night whenever she still had energy left, she set about labeling them on wood pieces and sticking them into the garden patch. She also noted the herbs being cultivated off to the side. There were basic potion ingredients, some more advanced, others were of the exotic sort that she hadn’t ever used before. While working or just sitting in the garden she would always glance up at the observatory window but she was left disappointed when the ghost did not appear. 

Suddenly it was the day before she was set to move into the cottage. Pippa took in the air of the city, realizing she would miss it ever so slightly but her mind was swirling with excitement at living out in the cottage where the hustle and bustle wouldn’t reach her, where she could refocus on what she wanted, and perhaps finally tackle the heavy binder the council gave her in regards to her school. 

The previous night she went over her finances and found restoring the cottage didn’t take as much out of it as she had expected. It made her breath easier. In all she could still pursue her dream of opening up a school but with the endless loops and hoops drafted by the council, it would take forever just to go through them and longer still to find places where they were in the wrong. 

Still, she pushed the thought aside. It was something to worry about later. Right now she had a bit of last minute shopping to do. The moving truck was loaded and would arrive in the morning with her furniture and belongings. Moving through the throngs of people, Pippa made her way to the shop she had her eye on since the fateful meeting. Inside she purchased a rather expensive gift so to say but given the centuries in between, she figured this would be a worthwhile investment and perhaps even the beginning of a truce. 

The following morning saw her get up early where she double checked her bags, said goodbye to her mother, and drove out to the cottage. It was the beginning of something new.

****

Pippa sat outside enjoying the brilliant sunshine. The garden furniture was perfect in the backyard and the medium swing was quite comfortable as she sipped on her cup of tea. A paperback open in her hand but as she looked up she saw the sun sparkling across the light rolling waves of the sea. For the first time in a long time she felt content, the stress and pressure of city life gone, and the cottage was idyllic. 

She looked up at the observatory. It was a week ago when the door finally unlocked and she was able to set up the gift she had purchase. Of course, she didn’t want to do away with the well kept old bronze telescope and so she set up the newer one a few feet from it. She wasn’t sure how to adjust it and even reading the instructions left her a bit confused but she figured her resident ghost would solve the matter faster. And much to her surprise it was still where she set it up but the angle was different. 

She smiled into her tea before returning her attention to the novel in her hand. It was a rather dull and predictable romance story that she found hidden among her belongings. She had enjoyed it once when she was younger but now she snorted at the prose and the cringe worthy way the romance was depicted. Part of her wondered why she was even bothering to read it now. She should just throw it out. Of course, she was simply idling away her time, waiting for the ghost to make a reappearance. 

Pippa looked up when she saw a flicker of black. Well, think of the devil…

The ghost appeared by the roses, long fingers caressing the tips of the petals, before turning and walking, no, gliding over to the soil plot. Now full with the growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The inspection must have been up to the ghost’s quality because it was then and only then that the ghost acknowledged her presence. At first there was silence between them almost as though neither knew how to address the other. The soft lapping of the waves could be heard. 

“Your friends are not here…”

“No,” smiled Pippa. The ghost’s voice was so much different than their first meeting. It was softer, richer, a velvet roll along the tongue, and oh so elegant. The time period of which she existed so very different from this one but it seemed she had picked up snippets of the way that was now normal to talk. It came as a bit of a struggle yet the first tentative step was appreciated. “They’ll come for visits. But they never planned on moving in.”

The ghost seemed satisfied with the answer. She said nothing, observing the blonde witch in a quiet minute then looked back at the cottage. “What year is it?”

The soft spoken, almost whispered question didn’t reach Pippa’s ear as she noted the lost expression on the woman’s face. In the sun, even with the transparent form, she looked stunning. Unlike any woman Pippa had even come across before and it made her wonder how beautiful the woman would have been in flesh and blood. “2010.”

Pippa opened her mouth to say more, to explain she wasn’t sure what but to explain something but the ghost had already faded away. She heard the rough grinding of tires against the small pebbled driveway and the slamming of a door.

“Pippa!”

The witch looked up at the observatory but saw nothing and quickly plastered on a sweet smile as she turned to find Mildred running up to her. “Millie,” she laughed as she caught the young girl in a hug and spun her around. “Oof, you are getting heavy.” 

“Hello!” came Julie’s sing song greeting as she rounded the corner with a bottle of champagne and a fresh cake. “House warming gifts.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

“Offer me a slice of cake and a glass and we’ll call it even,” smiled Julie.

“Done,” agreed Pippa as she led them inside to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cottage restoration is complete! I could have gone into more detail but that would have been way too boring. Let's just leave it at this and reveal details as they come. Much more exciting, I think. Plus feel free to supply your imagination too!  
> See you in the next chapter, my amazing readers. You're wonderful!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More interactions between the ghost and the modern witch, yay!  
> All mistakes are mine

Pippa had finally decided to tackle the stack of paperwork the council gave her in response to her inquiry about her would be school. Even the first page screamed of bureaucratic bullshit and the following pages were littered with more and more excuses that didn’t seem to make sense. It was late and she had come home from a pleasant dinner with her mother. Unfortunately her mother thought it appropriate to bring along a date. But a date not for her mother but for her, in hopes her daughter would finally show some interest in a romantic relationship and while Pippa wanted nothing more than to leave she had already promised her mother a dinner after all the time she spent restoring the cottage. 

The date was nothing less of boring, droning on and on about the ‘exciting’ world of accounting and how her mother thought she could possibly be interested in someone like that, she did not know. She refrained herself from making any sort of offensive comment especially when the topic shifted toward the recent inclinations of the council and Pippa violently stabbed at a buttered carrot that it skidded off the plate and across the table. She could have stayed for dessert but that was honestly the last thing on her mind as she wanted nothing more than to get home.

She hadn’t relaxed until she saw the beginnings of the lighthouse and knowing her cottage wasn’t too far away, erased the tension in her back and shoulders. Something about coming back home made her happy. This little slice of paradise really.

While she hadn’t seen her ghostly resident since she dared appear in the garden before Julie’s arrival, she had noticed a few things around the house that noted of the ghost’s presence. Like her wine glasses that she sometimes forgot to clean up late at night were found freshly washed in the kitchen sink the next morning. When she worked on a potion but it wasn’t turning out the way she wanted it, notes appeared written in the sides, very neatly, offering suggestions and when she tried them out the potion always turned out the way she wanted. 

Once she was baking some cookies and got distracted by reading a novel that was left out on the living room table. She assumed by her ghost because the book was old and leather bound and written by an author she had never heard of. But as she was captivated by the writing and the story, she forgot about the cookies and when she did suddenly remember she rushed into the kitchen, expecting to see smoke pouring out of the oven and completely burnt cookies. Instead Pippa found the oven off and the freshly baked cookies waiting for her on the kitchen island. 

There were other small things. Like articles of clothing neatly folded when she came home exhausted or a slight bit tipsy from a girl’s night out, those nights always brought on mornings where a fresh glass of water waited for her. Sometimes, on colder nights, she found the fireplace already on by the time she came inside. Once she was heading for a walk down in the village and an umbrella appeared by the door. She didn’t want to take it with her while yes, the sky was cloudy, rain was not in the forecast. The umbrella, however, wouldn’t let her leave unless she took it with her. To her surprise she reached the village and it began raining. Luckily her errands weren’t that much and the walk was still pleasant as she discovered the umbrella to be magically enchanted so that water never touched her.

The observatory, oddly, remained locked but it didn’t bother her. Sometimes she left a vase of roses in front of the door or other bundles of flowers and found them gone the next time she checked. It was a mutual respect the two of them had. The ghost never crossed into her bedroom and she never passed into the observatory without permission. A permission of which was a rare gift and when the door was ajar, she was hesitant in stepping across but something about the room was equally comforting and mysterious.

Inside the observatory she never touched the books nor any item unless express permission was given or she asked for it. But she hadn’t. Instead she took to simply observing and somehow the room felt alive. Alive with magic and the presence of the ghost who made herself visible only on rare occasions or at night. 

It was on one of these nights where Pippa, already dressed in her pjs and a light shawl draped over her shoulders, heard the clicking of the lock and heard the door swing ajar. She made her way out of her bedroom and to the observatory where she quietly entered. And this night she saw the ghost. Not as a transparent vision, not cloaked in shadows, but as a full figure, almost solid where she could reach out and touch the other woman. The reminder of the woman being a ghost stopped her. 

Pippa stood by the door, quietly watching as her ghost adjusted the telescope she had bought in the city. The ghost beckoned her closer. The room basked in a comforting silence as Pippa walked closer. The ghost drew back from the telescope, offering the other to look through the lens.

She saw the vastness of space beyond the moon. The stars felt closer, larger, more alive than simply looking at them from the ground with the naked eye. She felt the telescope moving below her and she wanted to draw back but the ever so light touch on her back stopped her. She continued looking through the lens and witnessed the far planet of Mars coming into view with its moons. It looked surreal watching the distant planet moving and its moons circling. 

Several minutes later the telescope was shifted again. This time it locked onto Venus and its quietness but the planet wasn’t the reason for the sight. Pippa gasped when she took in the meteor shower happening over the planet. It was over in a handful of minutes but the sight was unlike anything she had ever seen before and somehow this shared experience felt rather intimate. Drawing back, Pippa expected her ghost to be gone but was surprised when the ghost remained by her side, watching her closely, Pippa dared voice her question again. “What’s your name?”

“Hecate,” said the ghost and Pippa felt like a piece of the puzzle sliding into place. “Hecate Hardbroom.”

Pippa smiled, “I’m-”

“Pippa Pentangle. Yes, I know.”

The witch looked up at the ceiling, seeing the rotating stars and feeling something magical about the very fabric of the room. “Why did you run?” she dared not raise her voice above a hushed tone when she voiced the question, thinking back to their meeting in the garden.

“I do not run,” said Hecate, moving away from the living and going further into the observatory. 

“You’re running right now.”

“Ghosts do not run. It’s impossible.”

Pippa’s eyes widened in annoyance, “Oh for the love,” she muttered. “You know exactly what I mean. You disappeared in the garden when I told you the year.”

“I did not know I was required to stay.”

“I wasn’t implying that either.”

“Weren’t you?”

Pippa opened her mouth then closed it and let out a deep breath. It wouldn’t do to have an argument with a ghost even if it seemed to be heading in that direction. While her mind was buzzing with questions after learning the name of her ghost, she knew she couldn’t bombard the other with an endless array of questions. No matter how much her mind wanted to blurt them out. She hated being in the dark even when it wasn’t in her right to know. “You’ve been doing things around the house.”

“Yes, I can hardly have you burn it down now that it’s restored,” said Hecate rather drily. 

“I’m not that irresponsible.” 

“Hmm.” The ghost neither disagreed nor agreed which caused a flare of frustration to spark in Pippa. “Your friend’s child. Does she know how to brew a-” Hecate fell silent through when she noticed Pippa holding up her hand to stop her.

“The child is young. She has time before she needs to learn the basics of potion making.”

“If you’re so inclined to believe,” said Hecate. 

“Times have changed. There is no longer a limit on how much someone can accomplished. People are no longer dying in their twenties or thirties or forties. This bureaucratic system of rules and discipline are not helping the young actually learn. They’re learning to keep their gifts out of sight and if it’s out of sight it’s out of mind because it fits into the ‘normalcy’ the Great Wizard approves of. It doesn’t stir the waters. It doesn’t offer the children anything new and it most certainly doesn’t give them the guidance they are so desperate in need of. We are forcing them into conformities that offer nothing but a restrict line they must walk on for the rest of their lives.”

Hecate raised an elegant eyebrow but said nothing. She quietly leaned against the edge of her desk and crossed her arms over her chest, lightly drumming her fingers against her elbows. 

“Schools are supposed to be making it easier for the young witches and wizards to learn but we remain constricted by gender. Only wizards may wield a staff to aid in the control of their powers. Witches, well if they’re lucky can have a wand but even that is more for wizards. Why? If it benefits one, it will benefit the other. There shouldn’t be a restriction on who is defined as proper for a magical artifact. If one student is having problems focusing then there are others as well. Regardless of their gender.”

“Not to mention this ridiculous separation of either all boys or all girls schools. When did that even become a thing?”

“Late 1920’s,” said Hecate. But it seemed Pippa didn’t hear her as the witch continued to vent her frustrations with the regulations put into place with the current school system. Hecate listened intently because she had noticed the stack of council papers in the living room one evening. She didn’t examine them, thinking it wasn’t any of her business, but the more Pippa was raging on the structure of the magical community, the more Hecate realized it stopped moving forward centuries ago. It baffled her as to why it wouldn’t want to move forward. Why this sudden halt? After everything her family had done to create a sound structure, an abundance of learning places, neither of which suffered from this new confounding ‘gender stereotypes’ and to simply have it standing still.

Hecate frowned. She only knew of the 1920s being when gender separating schools came into effect because she had seen a newspaper tumbling along the village one windy afternoon. It was the last time she had the energy to venture outside of the cottage grounds and even now her magic was fading faster than it managed to restore itself but that was neither here nor there and of little importance to the greater stand of things. 

Hecate turned her attention back to the blonde witch. She was young, mid-thirties if she had to wager a guess, energetic of that there was no doubt, and rather passionate about the learning structures of the education system. It raised a rather odd question. A question Hecate couldn’t help but voice, interrupting the spewing frustrations coming from the witch’s pink lips.

“Why are you here then?”

“Excuse me?” Pippa was taken back by the question and stared at the ghost.

“Why are you here,” repeated Hecate, “If the education system is failing young witches and wizards, why are you out here at a seaside cottage?”

“First off, this is not seaside,” said Pippa, “There is a downward climb. This ridiculous hill overgrown with weeds and odd rocks that lead to the sea. And second, it’s none of your business.”

“Yet you venting your frustrations at the lack of competence in the education system and the clear idiocy of what was once a smart council, is my business?”

Silence filled the room between them; Pippa debating on what to say to ghost while running her previous words through her mind and Hecate waiting with a strange sort of patience at what the witch might hold as a response. Then suddenly Pippa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she realized she had embarrassed herself in front of the cottage’s residential ghost. She hadn’t the slightly idea of pouring out all her frustrations with the council. It had just built and kept on building and building. While she normally shared such things with her mother or Julie, she hadn’t felt like it recently because doing so made her feel like admitting she was a failure. And somehow the slightest retort made by the ghost just sent her spiraling into the direction of the main cause behind her frustrations and she spilt it all. 

Pippa was defeated, exhausted, and feeling rather humiliated. Here she wanted nothing more than an understanding with her ghost. This peaceful cottage had taken away her worries and whenever she left she felt anxious to return. While she was here she didn’t have to be concerned over what the council wanted. Until today. When she finally decided to start reading the council’s report and it only served to make her more frustrated and helpless. 

Wrapping the shawl tighter around her shoulders, Pippa looked away from the intense gaze of her ghost. How could someone who was dead still hold such intensity in their eyes that made it seem like they were looking straight through you? Pippa didn’t know and she didn’t want to know. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head, “It’s late. I’ll leave you to it.”

Hecate didn’t say anything as she watched the witch leave. The mild curiosity still swirling in her mind but she remained in the observatory until she heard the bedroom door close. There were certain perks to being a ghost. Like the fact sleep was no longer a requirement. And with such the ghost disappeared from the observatory.

Downstairs in the living room, Hecate materialized staring at the council papers. Yes, she would need those but given the year of 2010… How did it ever get to that, she did not know and it was best not to think of it. She scanned the room for what she needed and found that there was an entire shelf still waiting to be lined with books. The box filled with the books had been haphazardly dropped on the floor and forgotten. Given the casting aside of the sole box still left to be unpacked, Hecate wagered that was a good place to begin her search.

Lo and behold she found exactly what she needed. The box was filled with the law books and council reforms dating back to the mid-18th century. She could find a way to work with it.

****

Pippa spent the next few days not seeking out the cottage’s ghost. Instead she got up with the sun, made a sweet breakfast and a strong cup of tea before she decided it was time to tackle the path leading down to the sea. At first she didn’t know where to start: remove the rocks first or the overgrown weeds. Even then her mind went back to her embarrassing explosion of words about the council and the education system and the very first impression she must have left behind upon her ghost instead of the first impression she had wanted to make. And that caused a stir of emotions she’d rather not think about. So Pippa took to clearing away the stones first. All the odd and heavy stones took about two days. She piled them along the ledge with her magic and occasionally she did look up at her cottage. Regardless from where she worked her eyes always found the observatory window.

Hecate never once stood in the window to greet her. Which shouldn’t have been surprising, after all who wanted to hear the problems of the living when as a ghost you probably have become too exhausted of such time passing things. But it did sting a little. No enough that Pippa felt the need to apologize because that would be embarrassing. Also not to mention how should she go about apologizing anyway? 

Shaking her head, Pippa returned her attention to the walkway. Who cared about the opinion of a ghost anyway? Well… she did. She thought of the ghost as hers even though she hadn’t known her name until a few days ago. But it was the little things, the soothing presence in the cottage, the remoteness of the place, the comfort of knowing she wasn’t alone that made things better. Her ghost made life a bit less lonely. 

“Ugh,” Pippa paused from ripping out the overgrown weeds and grass and plopped down on the broken step. “Maybe I should call Julie.”

“Yes, let’s go cavorting with friends instead of focusing on what’s important.” 

The sudden sharp tone startled her that she gave out a squeak before quickly getting off the step and staring at Hecate. She was barely visible under the blaring sun and the cool breeze coming for the sea below but those intense eyes stared into hers and she quickly looked away. “What do you want?”

“It’s not about what I want,” said Hecate, “It’s about what you want.” 

Pippa scoffed, turning her attention back to the weeds. They seemed much more interesting than what her ghost had to say. 

“I’ve found a way around your problem with the council. Several actually.”

“Is that so?” Pippa wasn’t the slightest bit entertained with the idea as she wrapped her hand around a weed and yanked hard. It came out of the dirt, raining down dry soil onto the steps and she tossed it onto the pile of other weeds. 

“I read through your law books. Mundane as they are, they show exactly where the council went wrong.” Hecate watched the witch closely, “I also read through the council’s report and the findings they brought up.” She noted how Pippa half hummed in agreement. “I turned your bedroom upside down and threw out your pink wardrobe.”

Pippa nodded along then froze, “You did what?”

“You should pay better attention.”

“If I find one piece-”

Hecate waved her frustrations aside, “Enough of this moping. Do you want your school or not?”

Pippa was quiet then she took off her gardening gloves. “Why are you helping me?”

“Does it matter? I know how to get around the council and its rules. You listen to what I have to say then offer up a meeting with council and you’ll have your school. Isn’t that what all this is about? Isn’t that why you decided to come here? A place to recollect your thoughts before you went about debates with the council.”

“I don’t appreciate the eavesdropping.”

“Perhaps you should talk quieter next time.”

“I’m not apologizing,” said Pippa after a moment’s of silence.

“I’m not looking for an apology.”

She searched the ghost’s face for a long time, looking for any sign of deception or anger or anything akin to what she would normally expect from someone who she had offended, but found nothing. “And if it doesn’t work?”

Hecate let out a laugh, rich and melodious among the wind, “My dear, if it doesn’t work, don’t ever let the council tell you no. History is built by those who take the risk, whether the gamble pays off or not, and from the recent readings I have done, this community has been quiet far too long.” 

“It could just be a flop, you know,” said Pippa, “My school.”

Hecate narrowed her eyes at the witch. “You don’t believe that in the slightest. I don’t believe it. And even so Hardbrooms are stubborn, exceedingly stubborn so I suggest you get rid of this ridiculous notion of doubt you’re favouring and when you’re ready, we’ll discuss matters of your school.”

Pippa opened her mouth to say something but her ghost had already disappeared and somehow she couldn’t quite stop the smile from coming to her lips. Yes, she had a good feeling about the cottage and its ghost and the hours she put into restoring it. 

****

The next three months saw her inside under the watchful gaze of Hecate Hardbroom and the dreaded council paperwork spread out on the dining room table. A stack of useful law books resided in the corner and she couldn’t help look at them in discontent. 

“Rest assured, they will not bite,” Hecate had told her when she first noticed the witch eyeing the law books like she wanted nothing more than to set them on fire.

While the beginning of going through the notations and the rest of the council side marks started out tedious and rather frustrating for Pippa because she could see how they were skirting around the issue, with Hecate pointing out several facts, things were slowly falling into place. Days went by, then weeks, more and more Pippa woke up in the morning, enjoying her breakfast, tea, and the paper before she went for a run and then a shower. Afterwards, she gently tapped her knuckles against the observatory door and together with her ghost, they would continue on the council papers. 

There were times when Hecate would mutter under her breath, cursing some form or rather of a revamped law, and shaking her head at the nonsense. She also muttered how such a thing could be allowed to pass when this law clearly intersected with another law they did the previous year. It was rather an endearing sight to behold. For being a ghost to hold still such passion about the magical community, Pippa really began to wonder what was lost with the end of the Hardbroom line. 

It was drawing towards the end of the third month and Pippa sat in the dining room, typing away at her new proposal of her school. She hoped to finish it tonight and have Hecate read it over, see if she missed anything or should omit or add to the proposal when the doorbell rang. Looking up, she saw Hecate vanish and Pippa sighed. Somehow the ghost’s presence was become much more of a stable around the house and whenever Hecate wasn’t around, whether to pass off a dry comment or to offer insight into something, the cottage felt strangely empty.

Pippa took of her glasses and walked to the door, surprised when she saw Julie, Mildred, and Dimity at the door. “I wasn’t expecting you lot.”

“Oh, you hear, Jules,” said Dimity, “She wasn’t expecting us and here we were worried sick about you. We thought,” Dimity leaned closer and whispered, “You know who got you.”

“That’s not possible,” said Mildred, obviously overhearing the words, “You-know-who was killed by Harry Potter!”

“Okay,” Julie nudged her daughter inside, “We just finished reading all the Harry Potter books. Now- Oh, wow.” Julie stopped when she looked into the dining room and saw all the papers, the notes, the post its, everything about the council and the school proposal scattered about. Scattered but somehow, strangely, organized which wasn’t like Pippa. “You’ve been busy.”

“Yep,” Pippa scratched the back of her neck, “I finally got around to tackling this.”

Dimity whistled, “Quite serious on this.” She looked around, “Dang. I hope we’re not interrupting.”

“Oh, no,” Pippa shook her head, “Not at all. Besides I could never say no to my little goddaughter now can I?” She pulled a laughing Mildred into a hug after she gave the young girl a light tickle. 

“Well,” started Dimity, “We were in the neighborhood, thinking of having a picnic by the sea, and figured you’d like to join us.”

Pippa frowned, giving the Star of the Sky a ‘are-you-serious’ look but Dimity’s eyes grew wider and her expression said ‘come-on-help-me’. Pippa sighed and shook her head. “A picnic sounds like a great idea. Did you know I started making my own strawberry jam? It’s in the kitchen pantry. Why don’t you get it, Mildred?”

“Okay,” the little girl ran off toward the kitchen.

“I’m going to use the restroom.” Julie quickly hurried to the downstairs bathroom and as soon as the door closed, Pippa turned on Dimity.

“Are you serious? You’re having me play the third wheel?” Pippa hissed.

“I’m sorry! I panicked!” Dimity said, “Julie’s worried about you and I was going to make a comment about the ghost eating you but that didn’t seem right so I might have suggested we come out here.”

“At this rate someone else is going to ask her out before you do!”

Meanwhile in the kitchen…

Mildred skidded to a stop when she saw the tall woman standing by the pantry door. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open because something about this woman was rather scary. Perhaps it was the long black dress that she wore or the tight bun or the stern expression or the fact that the sun was shining directly through her. But somehow Mildred was also curious about the woman. She walked further into the kitchen. Her little eyes trained on the woman, expecting her to suddenly move but all that happened was the pantry door swinging open and a jar of fresh strawberry made jam come floating out.

Mildred caught the jar in both hands and clutched it to her chest. “Thank you,” she said softly. “Do you live here with Pippa?”

“In a matter of speaking,” said Hecate.

“Are you good to her?”

The question caught the ghost off guard. She raised an eyebrow at the child’s curious nature. “Why do you ask that?”

“Because she hasn’t called my mom or me in three months. Is that because of you?”

“I suppose in part it is.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been helping her with her school proposal.”

Mildred narrowed her eyes, carefully looking at the ghost, “So you’re not trying to keep her from us?”

“On the contrary, little girl,” said Hecate, “What do you know about potions?”

“Mommy says I’m not old enough to learn it yet.”

“And how old are you?”

“Seven.”

“Millie, love, where are you?” Julie’s voice drew closer and when Mildred looked over her shoulder to tell her mother she was in the kitchen, the ghost disappeared. 

“Look, mommy, Pippa makes jam now,” said Mildred holding up the jam jar.

“Oh, this is new,” said Julie taking the jam, “I really hope this doesn’t have too much sugar.” She got an odd feeling in the kitchen and took a look around but nothing strange or suspicious stuck out. Perhaps it was nothing. Julie shrugged, took her daughter by the hand, and left the kitchen. “Right, we ready for a picnic?”

****

The picnic was a relaxing affair. Both Dimity and Julie caught her up on the latest gossip drifting around some of their other friends. A particularly interesting one about a former school bully being caught naked and tied to a pole while covered in honey and feathers had her shaking her head. Each of them complimented Pippa on the homemade jam. It wasn’t too sweet or too tart, just the perfect balance and she shrugged off their compliments but didn’t mention it was actually Hecate who had the recipe and shared it with her when Pippa said she had too many strawberries growing in the garden and her freezer would soon be overflowing with them. It took a few tries but under the careful Hardbroom guidance, Pippa managed to perfect it in a day. 

It felt oddly private. This tentative relationship or friendship or whatever it was she had with Hecate. And Pippa wasn’t quite ready to share that. No, it felt like if she were to share it there was a violation in the making. Besides she had the odd feeling neither Julie nor Dimity would understand the forming bond. Best keep it a secret. 

They watched Mildred play by the water but Julie told her not to get too close and so the child took to walking the little beach. It was rather beautiful down here. The lapping waves were a nice, comforting sound. She was glad to have had the time to fix up the path way. Some steps still needed repairing but beyond that it was sturdy and walkable enough. 

“Oh, you’ll never guess who I ran into on Monday,” said Julie. She watched as Mildred picked up a shell, examine it then toss it aside. Apparently it wasn’t interesting enough or perhaps it just wasn’t right. 

“Do I even want to know?” Pippa erred on the side of caution because when Julie usually made a comment such as that one then it usually led to the attempt at setting Pippa up on a date which turned into Pippa blowing off said date at the very last minute or something of the like. 

“Josephine Mitchell.”

Pippa groaned, “Not this again.”

“What? She’s single. You’re single. You both went to the same college. She’s clearly interested in you and she’s attractive.”

“Then you date her.”

Dimity choked on her drink. Julie ignored it and gave the blonde witch a pointed look. “I just don’t understand why you’re not willing to give it a shot. You’re not getting any younger.”

“Ugh, you sound like my mother.” Pippa shook her head, “Besides I already know Josephine and I would never work. And she deserves more than my half assed attempt because I’m not interested.”

“So don’t make it a half assed attempt and become interested.”

“No.”

“Why you keep turning down everyone I bring you?”

“Because I’m not asking you to bring me anyone.”

“Don’t you want to be happy?”

“I am happy.”

“What? Living a sheltered life here in a haunted cottage. Who are you kidding, Pippa? This isn’t happiness, this is hiding.”

Pippa narrowed her eyes, “My mother spoke to you, didn’t she?”

“She, er… might have mentioned that date with the accountant,” said Dimity.

“Okay, that wasn’t a date. That was an ambush by my mother and who dates accountants other than other accountants. They are so boring.”

“Pippa,” interjected Julie.

“Let me just do this with my school and the council then you can set me up on whatever date you want. I don’t need anymore distractions and a relationship is the last thing on my list.” Not to mention the one she was possibly, slightly interested in wasn’t in the living category… Wait, where did that sudden thought come from? Pippa didn’t hear the rest of what Julie was saying as her mind began reeling. 

“Mommy, mommy!” Mildred came running up the beach front with a bundle of greens in her tiny hands. “Look what I found! Gillyweed and pondlilies. Just like you said you needed!”

Julie looked from her daughter to the bundle of greens in her hands and then to Pippa. “Did you tell her?”

“What are you talking about?” Pippa looked confused and when Dimity shrugged beside her, it seemed they were both out of the loop.

“A handful of patients came in with a type of aquatic poisoning but we didn’t have enough gillyweed and pondlilies to make a strong enough antidote so we’ve been treating them a salve.”

“Were they the ones in the paper? Took a camping trip out by Greenside cliffs?”

“Yes,” said Julie.

“Oh, I didn’t know they were sent to you. I just briefly saw the headline.”

“Millie, love, where did you find these?” Julie asked her daughter.

“Over there by the rocks,” Mildred pointed to a shallow basin where the water lapped at smooth grey stones. “The lady from the kitchen pointed them out. She said they’d help in curing the campers.”

“What lady from the kitchen?”

“The-” Mildred gave pause as if she was remembering something then shook her head. “Nobody! Will these help, mommy?” She held up the dripping bundles of green in her hands as her smile grew wider.

Julie gave her best friend a baffled look before telling her daughter these were more than enough.

Later that evening

“It was kind of you to show Mildred to those plants,” Pippa broke the comfortable silence between them. After her friends had left, Julie more confused then ever with Mildred refusing to say who showed her to those plants and Dimity suggesting it was probably just a local fisherman or someone from the village, Pippa had managed to finish writing her proposal. And it was now being edited by her ghost that she commented on the afternoon event. 

“I haven’t the faintest idea of what you’re talking about,” said Hecate as she turned her attention to the next page.

“Of course not, lady from the kitchen.” Pippa gave a little victory smile when her ghost looked at her and returned to the soothing cup of hibiscus tea cradled in her hands. 

“The child is more than ready to learn the basics of potion making,” commented Hecate. Her quill poised over the paper, began making a few corrections then crossed out a section, making a note in the corner. 

“Good luck telling Julie that,” muttered Pippa. Julie, for all her wonderful and amazing qualities, was a bit reluctant to start Mildred on her early witching lessons. She felt the need to keep Mildred a carefree child a while longer. Not that Pippa could blame her after what happened with Mildred’s father. “Did you ever have children?”

“No.”

“Married?”

Hecate snorted, “Hardly.” She looked up from the pages and sighed, “I lived a witch’s life and there was no shame in it. No witch has ever been worse for knowing me. Now your proposal requires some edits and this section would serve better if you rewrite it.”

Pippa laid awake that night, staring at the ceiling, her mind whirling. Her heart echoed a scattered beat that sometimes skipped and other times simply raced as her thoughts swirled into what life must have been like for her ghost. She was curious. Beyond curious and all of a sudden she wasn’t sure if that was such a good thing. But it couldn’t be helped. 

She should probably be thinking about the proposal she was about to turn in tomorrow morning instead her mind returned to the dark haired ghost she had gotten to know steadily over the months of living in the cottage. Had the former living witch been a gentle lover? Passionate? Giving? Understanding? Patient? Pippa already knew she was intense and was certain that spilled over into the bedroom. 

Suddenly the blonde witch sat up, swallowing and shaking her head. She shouldn’t be having these thoughts. She knew she shouldn’t be. It was a hopeless situation and her wandering thoughts were making things worse. Still she couldn’t shake her imagination off the ghost’s trail given what Hecate had said before diving into the necessary changes of the proposal. 

Tossing the blankets aside, Pippa made her way through the dark house. She already had the layout memorized, good enough to traverse it in the darkness of the night and went to the kitchen. She poured a glass of water and leaned against the sink, thinking. The quiet cottage answered her, seemingly allowing her thoughts to echo in her mind and suddenly she felt the need for fresh air. 

The night air was crisp against her bare skin and her tank top offered little protection. Yet the feeling was inviting, distracting even as she looked across the garden. Even without the moon shining, it was perfect. The grass soft beneath her bare feet as she walked across to the swing bench. Flicking her hand, she immobilized the swing and sat down. Her eyes were drawn to the observatory but she forced her gaze away instead looking out across the sea. 

The waves sounded louder in the night’s stillness and offered the quiet relief she wanted from her thoughts. She tried thinking about tomorrow and the busy city that was waiting for her. Part of her heart dreaded it, having become too adjusted to the serene setting of the cottage. Most of her was excited. She had a good feeling about this proposal. It sounded better, more professional, more there, more convincing and it was all thanks to Hecate. A quiet voice whispered she wasn’t going to get rejected again by the council but she tried not to let that hope run wild. Oh, how she could already picture the school she wanted to build and the way the classes would be set up, the student uniforms were still on the drawing board because she couldn’t figure out what color scheme she wanted and after being rejected, she hadn’t the heart to continue working on them. 

Her thumb stroked the glass, rubbing away the building condensation. Before she realized it she was looked up at the observatory and this time she found the intense gaze of Hecate staring back. Heat flushed in her cheeks and for once she was glad it was night time. 

Suddenly her ghost was in the garden, offering up a warm wool shawl which Pippa took gladly and draped across her shoulders. The silence was never awkward between them. It was just there, drifting between them, offering comfort when neither knew what to say, bringing peace when there was stress, quiet when the outside world was too much, but most of all it brought the familiar feeling of two people who simply knew they fit in each other’s orbit like the distant stars above. 

An idea came to Pippa’s mind. She smiled and summoned the wooden chess board she received from her uncle a long time ago. “Do you play?”

“I may be a bit rusty,” said Hecate.

But Pippa took that as an invitation nevertheless and set up the board. They spent the next several hours playing a handful of games. Pippa won the first one and lost the next two. By the last match she was yawning all through until Hecate told her to get some rest, she had a long day ahead. While Pippa was reluctant to do so, she found her way back inside, falling asleep when her head hit the pillow. Her dreams were scattered that night, filled with an intensity she wasn’t sure she wanted to remember when she woke up.

Morning came and part of her was still exhausted yet last night she would do it all over again if given the choice. The morning was a bit of a rush as she had wanted to be up twenty minutes earlier. By the time she was ready, her leather bag waited for her on the kitchen island. Inside were most of her things including the all too important school proposal. She double and triple checked when she got to the door. Before leaving she looked up the staircase, expecting to see her ghost but nothing greeted her.

With excitement and nervousness in her heart, Pippa set off for the city, silently praying this time would be a success.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fingers crossed Pippa gets her school permit and stuff!  
> And to my lovely readers, thanks for reading. You are all a treat! Stay wonderful!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? New record! Time for a nap  
> All mistakes are mine.

Dressed in the most professional outfit she owned, Pippa’s heels clicked against the stone steps as she hurried up toward the building. Slipping through the revolving doors, she paused and smoothed down the dark tailored jacket. A magenta blouse beneath the button up jacket and she wore black pants. It was a rather modern outfit but it was exactly what she wanted to come across as given what she hoped to accomplish with her school. The previous night before she went to bed (the first time) Hecate had approved of the outfit, saying it was better suited to match the proposal instead of traditional robes which even she agreed were heavily out of date. 

She confirmed her appointment and took a seat off to the side. Glad to have arrived on time, Pippa took the opportunity to run through what she was going to say, what the strengths of the proposal were, the stance she stood behind. It should be easy. She faced the council before but now was different. Now she had the back of another sort, of someone who probably knew the council works better than anyone, and with that aid she should be able to pass with flying colors and get her proposal through. She didn’t want to let Hecate down. The thought made her smile because Hecate was probably already drawing up a backup plan back at their cottage. 

When the secretary informed her it was time, Pippa rose, took a deep breath and walked with her head held high, back straight into the chambers of the council.

****

Hours later

The meeting went better than expected. Pippa walked out of the government building, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. She felt like laughing. The proposal went over incredibly well. Better than she expected. The highlights Hecate had pointed out and reminded her several times to address should the council attempt to backtrack, left behind shocked and flabbergasted faces. There were numerous times when the council hadn’t been able to say anything except to stare in shock and that was just the very thing Pippa needed and it drove her forward. When she was met with silence at the end, she half expected to get kicked out but surprisingly the council approved to take a new look at her proposal. One member even congratulated her on the added work she did and if she had brought that passion the first time around it would have gone through with flying colors.

Too bad, she was too nervous the first time around and that made her a slight jumbled mess. Pippa let out a delight squeal and hurried down the stairs. She felt like she was almost walking on clouds. There was the slightest chance the council would still reject her school but now the chances felt far far too low for such a thing to happen. They had mentioned she should be expecting a call within a week. 

She would have to find a way to thank Hecate. But what to get a ghost as a thank you? Her mind scrambled trying to find possible gift ideas that she didn’t notice where she was walking until she collided with a soft body. 

“Oh, I am so sorry,” said Pippa and that was when her heart sank slightly. She had bumped into the very person she wanted to avoid. “Josephine,” she put on a warming smile.

“Pippa Pentangle,” the witch smiled widely and she pulled the other into a greeting hug. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever. Let’s grab a coffee.”

Pippa opened her mouth to come up with an excuse but couldn’t find one and reluctantly agreed. “I’m good. What’s been going on with you? Julie told me you were interning at the latest architectural company.”

“Actually I’ve been contracted by the council,” said the brown haired witch. “A few others and I will be going around to schools and seeing what renovations are needed. Several schools are in disarray over the last couple of decades. The council sees that now. It only took them a few years of convincing.”

“The council can be a bit slow at times,” said Pippa. “Thank you.” She stepped inside of the quaint café when the other witch held open the door. Her good mood slightly slipped away because she had wanted to return home and have an early celebration, possibly even tackle the remaining fixes that still needed to be done. Well, perhaps she could ensure this wouldn’t drag out too long.

Luck, however, wasn’t on Pippa’s side when Julie entered the café twenty minutes later and spied the two. She wasn’t able to resist joining them, in what Pippa believed was an attempt at getting them to connect. After that, her mother arrived and Pippa was on the verge of throwing her arms up in frustration. It was like one good thing happens then several mediocre obstacles preventing her from enjoying her happiness. She was only half interested in the renovations that were coming to the schools scattered across the country. It made her remember her own school days, which weren’t uncomfortable but she felt the heavy inequality and some of the abuse drilled out by older teachers. All of which spoke of the trouble the magical community was in.

Her expression must have revealed some of her thoughts because she received a harsh nudge against her ribs from her mother, drawing her back to the conversation at hand.

Two hours later, Pippa was finally able to excuse herself with a flimsy reason of a meeting for some paperwork. Whether they believe it or not, she didn’t really care. She was just glad to be out of the café and as she hurried back to her car, she figured she make a stop at the grocery store before heading home. There was a recipe she noted in the old cookbook she wanted to try out.

Pippa slumped against her closed front door. The grocery bags slipping from her hands and she took comfort in the silence basking in her cottage. 

“Did it not go well?” 

Hecate’s voice brought a smile to her lips and when she opened her eyes, she found her ghost directly across from her in the hallway. “It went better than the first time. In fact everything was perfect. If I could I would hug you right now.”

“Still a ghost,” reminded Hecate and Pippa laughed softly.

She picked up the grocery bags and walked down the hall to the kitchen and placed them on the island. “I was thinking of trying that pizza recipe in your grandmother’s cookbook.” She began unloading the bags, putting the right things in the fridge and the pantry.

“I’ll translate then.”

“Brilliant.” Pippa looked at her ghost for a long time and couldn’t help feeling how perfect, well almost perfect, this was. She got changed then went outside to the garden where she collected the needed herbs while Hecate removed the cookbook from the shelf in the kitchen and flipped through the pages.

The book landed on the page with the pizza recipe and ran her fingers along the cursive writing in her grandmother’s hand. It wasn’t in English but the ghost still remembered every step as though it was only yesterday when she was in this very kitchen making the same pizza with her grandmother. Of course that was centuries ago but it brought a slight pain in her ghostly heart. Shaking the memories away, she smiled when Pippa entered with the herbs.

Together, well Hecate instructed and Pippa did all the work, they grinded the pine nuts with the olive oil and the basil leaves to make a fresh pesto. Then the dough was carefully measured out, the yeast allowing to rise first before the cool liquids were introduced followed by the flour. While Pippa worked she talked about the council meeting and the priceless faces she saw etched on the faces of each member and how she had a good feeling about this. Then she commented on bumping into a former college classmate and the awkward coffee that happened afterwards. 

“Can you believe she dared make a quip at the second donut I ate?” The very nerve of that had made Pippa want to leave but Julie and her mother kept her rooted in place. 

“Never let anyone tell you to be ashamed of your figure, my dear,” said Hecate, “Do keep knead for another minute.” She added when Pippa had stopped to look at her.

When the dough was set aside to allow its rest and rise, Pippa was offered a glass of wine before she set about cutting up the toppings she wanted on her pizza. With the dough, Hecate had mentioned she should be able to get out two good sized pizzas or several miniature versions, whichever her preference. 

“What was your preference?”

“The miniature versions. You could have more variety that way,” said Hecate.

“How bold of you.”

“Oh yes, I was quite the risk taker,” chuckled Hecate and Pippa joined in. They got back to making the pizzas and sure enough Pippa went with the miniature version, each one holding a different set of topics. Her ghost raised an eyebrow at the sight of pineapple on one of them but said nothing.

At one point Hecate made a rather dry remark that cause Pippa to throw some flour at her but considering the other was a mere ghost, the flour went right through her and more laughter was had when Hecate said, rather stone faced, “You missed.”

The evening was a pleasant one. The pizzas turned out delicious, better than any store bought ones and certainly better than any other people attempted and Pippa made another round of thank you to the brilliant cooking mind of Grandma Hardbroom. While she enjoyed her dinner, Pippa put on the tv and decided to catch up on some of the shows she missed. Of course, she hadn’t expected Hecate to join her but the ghost was endlessly fascinated with the television but soon she started making snide remarks at the events transpiring on the screen. At some point Pippa had a stitch in her side from holding in her laughter. And it made her think to have bring home the occasional movie or two for them to watch together. It gave her a good enough reason to update her movie collection.

Three days later 

Pippa was summoned back to the council. At first she felt the familiar inkling of dread in the pit of her stomach. The council said they would take a week and three days certainly wasn’t a week. Her nervousness must have showed because Hecate appeared in the doorway of her bedroom, arms folded across her chest. “It’s a good sign.”

“How can you be sure?”

“The council usually holds president over important matters. If they’re calling you in early then your impression must have left a mark and caused them to push other issues aside.”

Pippa took comfort in the words. Hecate did have a point and she prayed her ghost was right. “I do wish you could come with me.”

“I’ll be here when you return,” Hecate said softly, “Don’t let them tell you no. Remember that.”

Pippa nodded and smoothed down her jacket. It was the same pants suit she wore the first time except this time she wore an emerald blouse because it was the same color as she had noticed on occasion on her ghost and she hoped the color would bring her some luck in this impromptu meeting. 

Hecate walked her to the door and gave her some words of reassurance before Pippa found herself walking to her car. Her hands trembled slightly when she slotted the key into the door and unlocked her car. Releasing a heavy breath, she slipped inside and drove to the city.

****

The meeting was short, to the point after the Great Wizard said his little piece and at first Pippa thought she was being rejected again. She had prepared her counter argument in the car drive into the city. Thinking of all the possible excuses the council could now come up with and remembering the practice arguments she had with Hecate until her ghost approved and said she was fully ready to tackle anything and everything the council would throw at her. But now none of that was necessary.

She was standing in the middle of an applause from the council members and a bundle of approved paperwork and options of locations for her school and properties in case she didn’t want to build her own from the ground up. Everything afterwards felt like a blur.

The witch was walking on cloud nine. Truly this time. The council had approved her and it was all thanks to Hecate that her lifelong dream had come true and not turned to dust. She called up her mother first, knowing her mother would never forgive her if she wasn’t told. And shared the great news, her mother was elated for her, saying she would start preparations on the most beneficial garden party to happen. Then Pippa called Julie but got the voicemail and left behind a message. She did the same by Dimity then got back into her car and drove back home.

The fireplace was already lit and spreading its heat throughout the cottage by the time Pippa arrived home. It was going to be a chilly night and the action was more than considerate of the ghost. She dropped the plans of unplotted land and available castle on the dining room table then kicked off her shoes and made her way upstairs. She noticed the observatory door was ajar and smiled. 

Quickly changing out of her pants suit, she grabbed a comfortable pair of sweat pants and long wool sweater then gently knocked on the observatory door.

“You no longer need to knock,” commented Hecate when she beckoned the witch inside. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Pippa felt warm inside of the observatory as though it was being heated by some unseen force and took a seat by the large window. The sky tonight was cloudy, not perfect for stargazing, but looking at the ceiling told of the night’s star patterns. “I got the council’s approval,” smiled Pippa. “Now it’s all about picking a plot of land or one of the available castles.”

“I hope you’re not deciding on any of those rundown ruins,” said Hecate.

“They’re not all run down.”

“They’re not you. None of them would be appropriate for Pentangles or whatever you plan on calling it. You are carving out your own way, leaving behind your own mark, wouldn’t you rather do it properly than use the second best of another’s idea?”

“There’s no harm in looking.”

“A mere distraction.” Hecate waved her hand at the comment and walked over to the book shelf. 

“Well some of these could house a founding stone?”

“What in blazes is a founding stone?”

Pippa frowned, “A founding stone is the very thing that makes a magic school. It gives the added boost to the young bodies and sucks the excess up to return to the school. It prevents magical exhaustion.”

“What a ridiculous notion. We never had any sort of stone keeping our magic in place. Sounds more like a hinderance than an aid. No wonder the young don’t have any control as you state.” Hecate shook her head. “Honestly, of all the foolish, hardhead ideas to bring forth,” she muttered.

“You don’t think I need one?”

“Need one? Need one? These stones are not a requirement. Centuries ago schools functions without this ridiculous idea of a stone to harness excess magic. What sort of fool came up with such an idea?” Hecate rolled her eyes. “No doubt the thinking of a Great Wizard past and present.” She pulled a book from the shelf. It was bound in beautiful red leather and appeared rather thick. Offering the book up to Pippa, “This should give you some ideas and insight to proper magical schools.” She returned back to the other books on the shelf, muttering about how ridiculous the notion of a founding stone was. 

Pippa slowly ran her fingers over the smooth leather like it was some precious treasure and she supposed in some way it was. She had always seen the books from afar even whenever she was inside the observatory but she never dared to touch them out of respect of Hecate’s private collections. Now that she held one in her lap, she felt deeply touched by the matter. 

Hecate raised an eyebrow at the cautious approach the witch took to the book. “It’s a book, Pippa.”

“It’s one of your books.”

“I hardly see the difference. Open it, read it, perhaps you’ll have some inkling to making your own mark with this school.”

“Join me.” 

Perhaps it was the breathless way Pippa requested her presence or the enrapture attention she had on the book or the reverence with which she carefully opened the leather bound cover that beckoned Hecate over. She took a seat beside the witch, carefully leaning closer as the two of them browsed through the pages of history. 

The book was about the first beginning of magical teaching. How from the humble beginnings and the various trials, a structure was established. Here, it was noted by Pippa, even the Hardbrooms held a high standard. Something of which wasn’t revealed in the records. Yes, Hecate had agreed, the Hardbroom line took to teaching magic first before the thought of establishing a council came to mind. Most preferred teaching because of the trials they went through themselves with some of their more powerful magic. They could understand the perspective of someone new to magic, could see the vulnerability, the fear, the very tempting desire to suppress their magical gifts. 

There was a pain in Hecate’s voice that made the witch want to reach out, to learn more with the given permission of her ghost but she couldn’t. The lack of living diving them once more and Pippa didn’t push the subject because she felt it was something Hecate hadn’t wanted to speak of. Further into the book, Pippa’s eyes fell upon this gorgeous castle. Her fingers traced the magnificent four towers, the double walls, and when she leaned closer she noticed the stone outlines were hidden by a coating of what seemed like marble sheets. 

“The Kaiser Castle from the 1500’s,” commented Hecate quietly. “It’s long gone now. But would have served well as a school.”

“This isn’t England.”

“No, it’s Prussian. The southern part of what is nowadays Bavaria, Germany. Now that was a place where equality had reigned for centuries until war broke out. Turn the page. The Hardbrooms are anything if not observant to detail.”

True to her word, Pippa found the entire layout of the castle. Blueprints, markings, passages some of which were secret, the divisions for classrooms, a list of ideal courses for each year. It was obvious the castle was going to be converted into a magical school but history had other designs for it. Even when she browsed through the remaining images and details, her mind kept returning to the magnificent four towers castle. It looked like something out of a fairy tale and she felt it would serve as the perfect grand towering castle to usher in the new protocol of the magical community.

She turned to her ghost, prepared for a debate of resurrecting the history and turning it into her own but it seemed Hecate already knew what she was going to say. “There’s no harm in bringing back the lost structure of time.”

“Not even when it’s the seconds of someone else’s idea?” teased Pippa.

“A Hardbroom’s idea is never second best. And those plans,” Hecate pointed to the blueprints and the school outline and idea, “Came long after the knowledge that the castle was in fact destroyed.”

It was then Pippa looked closer at the handwriting of the notes and noted their familiar swing upon certain letters. “Your grandmother?”

“Yes,” nodded Hecate, “She had dreams of opening up a school, of offering a safe haven for those less fortunate when it came to their magical gifts, but she never had the chance. The Kaiser Castle had remained in the family even long after the Kaiser line died out. It was used primarily as a vacation spot until the war. My family made the choice of destroying the castle and everything inside instead of letting it fall into the wrong hands. Her dream never got fulfilled.”

“I’m sorry,” whispered Pippa. 

“It was a long time ago. Though I might add, should you decide on a similar style, you have excellent taste, Pippa.”

“Don’t you just know what to say?”

“I’ve had centuries of practice,” retorted the ghost. 

Warm chocolate brown eyes met those intense brown ones and for once it felt like she was seeing Hecate in the full. Not just flutters and filters of her actually being but a solid presence. As solid as she could be given what she was and the longing to reach out and touch her filled Pippa’s core. Her heart twisted painfully at the reminder such an action wasn’t possible. That the dead were untouchable but throughout the entire time, since their first meeting to now, Pippa came to a devastating realization. She was utterly and deeply in love with Hecate Hardbroom, resident ghost of this little cottage. 

She didn’t know why but she dared leaning closer and it didn’t appear like her ghost was going to stop her until the door bell rang. Hecate dropped her eyes first, straightening her stance, “Your friends are here.” 

Pippa wanted to say she should stay, she should make herself known to the others, that it was okay, they would come around but it was already too late. Her ghost dematerialized to places unknown and she again felt a painful twist in her heart. 

The doorbell rang again. Pippa carefully closed the book, setting it on the desk before leaving the observatory. The door clicked closed of its own accord. She took a moment to compose herself then hurried down the stairs. Pulling open the door she was engulfed in a hard hug from Julie, followed by Dimity, both were cheering loudly and Julie held up a bottle of champagne.

“To the future school that’s going to rock this country!” Dimity grinned, taking the bottle of champagne and running into the kitchen for glasses. The bottle popped open loudly, the foam pouring from the top, and the Star of the Sky moved quickly to fill each glass.

“A toast,” said Julie, beaming. “To the future best headmistress this country will ever know.”

The celebration went on well into the night. Pippa was glad to be among her friends, to celebrate this milestone, already inviting them to her mother’s future garden party so she wouldn’t be too bored. But there was this small lonely part of her, the part that kept glancing to the staircase, the one filled with longing of her ghost. This separation between the world she had, the friends, the family, now the school and the quiet, relaxed, perfectly idyllic world she had with Hecate. It tore at her heart because she would never be able to choose. She would never dare herself to choose. Even if her ghost were to disappear for good, Pippa would never leave. She would remain behind, waiting until her ghost returned but it was a good thing Hecate wasn’t going anywhere.

****

In the months that followed and far past her better judgment, Pippa constantly sought out the company of her ghost. Together they went over plans of building the perfect castle for Pentangles Institute. She could have called it Academy or school or something but she wanted it to have a lasting impact. Pentangles Institute felt perfect because it was a teaching institute for all who held magic, be it born among to magical families or born to parents who hadn’t the slightly inking. It would be open to those who showed promise and a desire to learn, those who would embrace their fear and work towards bettering themselves and the world around them.

While she went over the guidelines and rules, she discovered Hecate held a natural talent in sketching out the castle as per her spoken decisions. She also held a unique talent in creating the blueprints for the internal structure. And it was coming together perfectly. 

By day they worked on the future of Pentangles and by night Pippa cooked herself a proper dinner, well what Hecate deemed perfect considering the ghost allowed her to have an overly sweet breakfast to satisfy her sweet tooth. Then they would either sit outside in the garden with the weather permitting or they would watch a film or two or continue on one of Pippa’s favorite shows. Recently she had taken to watching Doctor Who with her ghost and sure enough Hecate always quipped the side remark or scoffed at some impossible science. Even when a science seemed possible, Hecate continued to doubt it which force Pippa to pick up a book or two on the topic whenever she went into the city. 

It was quite frankly the perfect relationship she had ever dreamed of. Of course, her desire had been with an actual living person and not a ghost but she took what she could. She dodged the questions about a certain Josephine whenever Julie mentioned her because, if Pippa was honest, she hadn’t thought about the other witch since that coffee meeting. And now neither her nor Hecate mentioned that night when they were looking through the book. Pippa wasn’t sure what would have happened, let alone what could have happened. It was murky territory in trying to place a name on the extent of what was happening between them. 

She went searching for the ideal plot of land in the early spring, taking along Julie and Mildred. The young child was growing fast. Even her magical abilities were manifesting themselves more much to the youngster’s delight. Pippa noted two places that held promise and could be perfect for her school. She invited the others over for lunch. 

“If I get the paperwork in before winter, it should get through and they’ll start building late February. At least that’s the plan,” said Pippa, “We’ll see how long that takes.” 

“Thankfully the garden party was a success too,” added Julie.

“My mother doesn’t know how to make one that would fail. She’s physically incapable of that happening,” laughed Pippa. She looked to Mildred who was happily eating a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich and smiled warmly, “I heard your birthday is coming up. Is there anything you’ve got your eye on?”

Mildred looked from Pippa to her mother then back to Pippa, swallowing the bite of her sandwich and grinned. “Yep, a starter cauldron set!”

“No,” said Julie, “Those are ages nine and up and how old are you turning, missy?”

“Eight,” grumbled Mildred. Her smile deflated into a frown and she took a large bite from her sandwich. Of course when she looked at her godmother, the blonde witch tipped her a wink and somehow she felt better and she had the inkling she would be getting that cauldron set after all. “Mommy, can I have my party here?”

“I don’t know, sweetie. You’d have to ask Pippa.”

Mildred turned to her godmother, “Can I? Please? I’ll even help with chores!”

Pippa laughed. Chores or not, she wouldn’t deny the precious little girl anything really. “Of course you can. As long as you tell me how many friends are coming?”

“Oh, it’s only Maud and Enid,” shrugged Mildred, “I don’t really want a big party. Can Dimity come too?”

“I’m sure she’d love to come. Why don’t you call her?” Julie got up and took Mildred by the hand, “I’ll be right back.”

Pippa nodded and went back to her sandwich. She smiled when she saw her ghost standing in the corner of the kitchen. “I hope you’re not going to reject a children’s birthday party.”

“You make it seem like I’m a boogeyman to them.”

“Well some children are afraid of ghosts.” Pippa smiled though, “You’re lucky Mildred isn’t one of them. What do you say?”

“Parties are hardly my thing.”

“Hecate.”

“Children even less so.”

Pippa gave a dramatic sigh, “And here I thought you’d be my plus one.”

“A first date at a children’s party? How romantic,” droned Hecate.

Before Pippa could say anything, Mildred skipped into the kitchen. “Dimity’s coming and she’s bringing brooms! Mom’s trying to talk her out of it though but-” Mildred gasped when she turned on her heel and saw the ghost. “You are helped me at the lake.”

“Observant as ever,” muttered Hecate. She moved to disappear when the child stepped forward.

“Please don’t!” Mildred’s eyes widened when she saw the scary lady hadn’t actually disappeared. “Um…” She hadn’t expected that and the child scrambled as to what to say next. “Will you come to my party?”

“No.”

“Oh, why? You live here with Pippa and it’s going to be here, you just have to step outside like you did when we had a picnic.”

Hecate was surprised by the child’s perception and sighed, “There are certain people in your party that wouldn’t want me there.”

Mildred scuffed the front of her shoe against the floor, “Pippa’s going to get me a cauldron set and she said you used to be a potions expert! Please?”

Before Mildred got her answer, her mother came back into the kitchen and the ghost vanished. Mildred frowned, her shoulders dropped, defeated. She thought back to the time at the sea when she saw the ghost again and of the promise she made not to tell anyone who showed her where to get the gillyweed and pondlilies. But she had hoped the ghost would be more present in this house except it seemed whenever she visited the ghost was hardly ever around. 

“Millie, love, everything alright?” asked Julie, gently touching her daughter’s shoulder.

Mildred nodded, “Mom, are you afraid of ghosts?”

“Ghosts?” repeated Julie, “Ghosts aren’t real, sweetie.”

“But if they were.”

“Well that would depend on if they’re good ghosts or bad ghosts. There’s no reason to be afraid of a good ghost. Why do you ask?”

“No reason really,” Mildred shrugged and sat back down, finishing the rest of her sandwich. “Why are there ghosts?”

“They’d probably have unfinished business here and until it’s completed, they can’t move on. But, sweetie, ghosts aren’t real.”

Mildred didn’t say anything. Her tiny brain wondering over a strange possibility even though the child didn’t know all that much about the magical community and if ghosts weren’t real, then who was the scary lady that lived with Pippa? Why did she fade in and out like that? Why was she never seen or heard or seen eating or drinking? If ghosts weren’t real then what was in this house? Mildred wasn’t afraid but she knew she had to talk with Maud and Enid about it. Maud would probably have an answer.

****

Mildred’s birthday party came up a few weeks later. Pippa unsuccessfully tried convincing Hecate to join in the party but her ghost flat out refused. It was hardly a place where she wanted to be even with the promise of guiding young minds through their first potions lesson. Eventually Pippa resigned herself to defeat and worked with Julie to come up with a birthday theme. It turned out Mildred didn’t have anything specific in mind aside from riding a broomstick, of which Julie was absolutely terrified of since she was also terrified of heights.

“Strange fear to have for a witch. A witch who does not learn to fly, certainly isn’t a very competent witch,” Hecate had commented behind Pippa when Julie made the fact known and Pippa tried stifling her smile behind her hand because she couldn’t reprimand the other for the remark. 

Somehow Hecate had learned or mastered the art of appearing only to those she wished to and in her very small circle of approved people was Pippa. The witch had wondered about why Mildred could see her but Hecate explained that away quite easily. The underdeveloped mind of a child was open to much more acceptance than adults could ever grasp. 

“You know she’s going to try and find you,” Pippa said idly one afternoon when the sun was hidden behind thick grey clouds. It would shine freely every once in a while but the pleasant days of summer had given way to fall and now that fall was fading too, winter would soon be here. 

“She won’t succeed.” Hecate stared into the fireplace. She couldn’t feel the warmth radiating free nor could she feel the cold brewing outside. It brought disquiet to her heart as she struggled to remember something she had forgotten. It was always like this when the winter months were approaching. She’d get the faintest traces of a blurred memory but what it pertained to or what it was about she never discovered. Centuries old and couldn’t even organize her memories, it brought a bitter taste to her mouth or at least it would have if she was still alive.

“Hecate?” Pippa said cautiously. She had noticed the quietness of her ghost, the distant look in her eyes and it scared the witch. She thought it meant something bad like Hecate was internally debating about staying and leaving but that couldn’t be right couldn’t it? Without knowing, the tingles of anxiety Pippa felt whenever she saw her ghost in such a state alarmed her. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m not sure.” Hecate felt her vision failing. No longer could she see the fireplace and when she tried to turn around she felt this leaden weight seep into her body which was strange because she didn’t have a body. Not anymore. Not for centuries.

“Hecate!”

She heard Pippa but she couldn’t see the witch. Magic flared beneath her hands. It had always been such a simple thing. Moving things as a ghost, it took no real effort and when she managed to summon forth little tadbits, she hadn’t exactly questioned it. Never before had there been a ghost to question and the afterlife didn’t come with directions as to what one can and can’t do as a ghost left behind on this ever changing planet. 

Hecate raised her hand. Not quite seeing where or what she was reaching out to but a sudden explosion of warmth came from whatever her hand connected with. At first she thought she was touching the fire but the heat never increased, didn’t burn, didn’t do anything except for gently envelop her hand. She heard Pippa gasp and forced her vision to come back into clarity. As it did the ghost looked down at the source of this unexpected feeling and found her hand gently pressed against Pippa’s. 

“I feel you,” whispered Hecate, staring at their touching hands then looking at the blonde witch. “I feel only you.” An it was true because she still couldn’t feel the warmth of the fireplace or the air of the room or the ground beneath her feet. She felt nothing except for the witch’s hand.

Palm to palm, they stood in the living room, staring at one another. Neither daring to pull away, neither saying anything as Hecate slowly became solid, neither noticing the lighthouse give off a faint but steady pulsing light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh, this is interesting.  
> I'll see you in the next chapter, my smart, beautiful, and badass readers. Stay true to yourselves!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are all wonderful and I did say at the beginning there would be a magical twist included and now that it's mostly written I am so worry about how it's going to come across. I mean, I just don't want to disappoint all of you. So slight anxiety when posting this chapter

Pippa slowly looked at the warm hand against hers and cautiously she shifted her hand, ever so slightly. Spreading her fingers, she wiggled them between Hecate’s but her ghost already knew what she wanted and soon their fingers were interlaced. A choked sob came loose in her throat. “Hecate,” she whispered. 

“I don’t know how long this will last,” started Hecate but Pippa was already shaking her head.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s enough. It’s more than enough,” her voice remained a whisper because she feared if she spoke louder then the vulnerability and fear of losing her ghost would show. She gave a relieved watery chuckle when she felt Hecate’s thumb brush across her skin. 

The witch felt like she should be searching for answers or at least some clues as to why this was happening but she couldn’t. Her mind wouldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling of her ghost’s skin against hers. She was softer than expected and warm. So very warm. It was comforting and unlike anyone she’d ever felt before. Pippa wasn’t sure when she took a step closer until the space between them was down to a bare minimum. 

Hecate brought her free hand up, fingertips trailing along the blonde witch’s jaw before she lightly pressed her palm against the other’s cheek. She watched how Pippa’s eyes fluttered shut, smiling at the sight. Releasing a shaky breath, Hecate reveling in the touch of another. The warmth of the witch’s skin, the softness, the very life and everything she hadn’t felt in centuries came rushing back. It was suffocating and yet not enough but then she felt a cold shiver descend her spine. Sorrow seeped back into her heart.

She leaned forward, her eyes closed as their foreheads pressed together. “I’m sorry,” Hecate whispered a breath’s distance away from Pippa’s lips.

At first Pippa wanted to say ‘don’t be’ and ‘for what?’ until she felt the warmth of her ghost fading away. Opening her eyes, Pippa watched as the other became transparent again before fading completely. “Hecate?” her voice sounded scared and she was scared. Scared what had become of her ghost, her Hecate.

The cottage remained silent. No answer came for her that night. Or the night after. Or the week that followed. Pippa felt lonely in the house. Often waking up at night from a terrible nightmare she had already forgotten the details of and she’d get out of bed, walking to the observatory. The door now always ajar but whenever she went inside, the room was cold. The enchanted ceiling no longer continued showing its rotating stars and orbiting planets.

Sleep did not come easy for the witch. She searched the cottage, attempted numerous spells at summoning ghosts, she walked the shoreline bundled in a warm jacket. She sat outside, late into the night, waiting, wondering. Still there was no Hecate. She didn’t understand any of it.

One moment she could actually feel her ghost’s touch as if Hecate was coming back alive and the next nothing. Seemingly all traces erased from her cottage. She walked through the village, noting its citizens but strangely the village too was deserted. When she entered the pub, she found it barren. Not even the owner stood behind the bar wiping at the glasses with a greasy rag. It felt as though the very area turned into a ghost town over night.

Julie had called the day before the birthday party. Pippa felt slightly guilty at having forgotten in her search for the ghost but she reassured Julie everything was still going to happen. And when Julie commented on the defeated tone the blonde witch was using, Pippa shrugged it off, saying it might be a cold but it should be gone by the next day.

Pulling out the party decorations she picked up a while after Mildred had given her the theme idea she was thinking of. Mildred wanted stars, sparkles, and magic. It was simple enough because Pippa was going to give her goddaughter the best birthday party she could. Still after pulling out the supplies, she felt defeated and confused. Where was Hecate? Why was the village deserted? More and more questions ran through her head. Answers proved to be elusive even as she sat on the floor of her hallway, staring into the supply closet under the stairs.

Under the light bulb, she noticed a strange mark. Getting to her feet and pushing aside the storage she kept below the stairs, she found a drawing of the lighthouse. That hadn’t been there when they painted this area. And it certainly wasn’t one of Mildred’s drawings or anyone else’s so who put the lighthouse image in this little area? She noticed the top of the lighthouse was actually shining. 

Pippa walked to the kitchen, looked out the window, and saw the very lighthouse that was etched into her wall. The drawing was too eerily like the lighthouse in the far distance but its light never shined. Not once when she arrived here, even the villagers spoke of it as broken for a long time. 

That night, after Pippa finished setting up for her goddaughter’s birthday party, she went into the observatory. Its emptiness, while disconcerting, reminded her of her ghost and that brought some comfort among her confusion and loneliness. She took a seat at the window, thinking back to when Hecate had allowed her access to one of her treasured books, even now when she looked at them, she pondered what could be in them. She didn’t want to invade on her ghost’s privacy. The books weren’t hers to look at nor had she been given permission to freely browse them. Pippa had, however, been given permission to enter the observatory without knocking any longer. It was a good victory, given how she had taken to sleeping here, curling up on the comfortable and cushioned window ledge. It made the waiting seem less terrible.

As she began drifting off to sleep, the scattered clouds decorating the night sky and allowing a few stars to twinkle on its canvas, a sudden light circled from outside. Its brightness shined across Pippa’s face, waking her. She brought a hand up to shield her eyes but the light already faded away. Part of her expected a car or something or someone to be in her backyard but the grounds were bare. The night was quiet.

Then the light came again. Blaring like a silent foghorn straight into the observatory, threatening her sight once more. This time she dared look at it through the slits of her fingers and found the impossible light coming from the lighthouse. It faded again.

A minute later it returned except its beam wasn’t as obviously in her face instead it began narrowing, shining directly into the observatory and past the blonde witch. When her gaze followed the light, she found it falling upon one of Hecate’s books. A black leather bound one without a title. She couldn’t… She wouldn’t dare…

But it could hold answers to where her ghost was or a clue or the slightest insight on the matter, whispered a small voice in the back of her mind. 

The light from the lighthouse wasn’t fading either nor did it diminish the longer she looked at it. It felt as though it was trying to tell her something, trying to encourage her to pluck the book from the shelf. Cautiously Pippa walked to the shelf. Her hand hesitated when she reached out, hovering an inch above it. Licking her lips nervously, she pulled the book from its place and held it in both hands.

The light faded away again, returning the observatory to darkness, but the sudden igniting of the candle on Hecate’s desk startling the blonde witch. She whirled around, half expecting, half hoping her ghost was there. 

Nothing.

The flicking single flame beckoned her closer and Pippa took a seat at the desk. The chair remarkably comfortable given its design and age. She set the book down, still closed when a sudden wind came in. It threw back the black leather bound cover, rushing past pages, before coming to a halt a quarter of the way in.

Pippa noted the elegant cursive writing in rich emerald ink. But she couldn’t make out the words. They were written in a language she didn’t know. The candle flickered, growing brighter for a second then dying back down, and when Pippa looked back at the writing it began to shimmer. The words went from an unknown language to English in a fraction of a second.

_‘Blasted infernal thing!_

_I had hoped when we razed the castle to the ground with the wildfire flames and kindling it would not have survived. But lo and behold, in the ashes there is was! Without the slightest scratch or mar or burn! Still as brand new as the day I found it._

_I didn’t want to burden my family with it but I couldn’t reveal its secret. Its contents, most precious and devastatingly dangerous, could not fall into the wrong hands. If I had not ‘acquired’ it, the council would have done terrible things. Things that would have changed the course of history._

_Blasted thing!_

_There is no way to destroy it. Even now as I journey away from our homestead in the heart of the Black Forest, I know what I must do. I do so with a heavy heart._

_Angela will take it with her. I plan to send her across the seas into this new land of England where she can start a new life. I won’t, however, tell her what this is. Merely a family heirloom, a prized possession of mine. My daughter is a good soul, pure of heart. I could not taint such innocent with the knowledge of what hides within this cube._

_I pray it will be forgotten over time, buried deep in the vaults of whatever family my daughter goes on to bring into this world. That the council will forget this ill and cursed pursuit for all that is holy. That the world remains safe. Both from the enemy within and those in the places between.’_

Pippa frowned at the journal entry. It made no sense. Just as she was about to look through it again, the wind pushed aside several more pages. This one written in the same emerald ink as the first.

_‘Pandora’s Cube. The lost and mythical object. I have found it. Buried at the bottom of our library, wrapped in the remnants of an old oil soaked rag. I cannot believe my luck._

_I had heard stories, legends, infamous deeds done by the cube. The power it could bestow but I never believed it. Never thought it was real, let alone hiding in our family library!_

_This could change everything.’_

“Pandora’s Cube,” muttered Pippa. She had never heard of such a thing. There was another entry, written in the same hand several weeks later.

_‘I have made a grave mistake. I should never have tried to open it. Now my dear, Eva, is paying the price. She joined me in my quest to understand more about Pandora’s Cube and unwittingly we have both attempted to open it. My wife’s magic is far stronger than my own and I fear she may have connected with some traces from inside of the cube._

_Her body is failing her but she cannot be far away from the cube and still she desires to solve more about it. I have tried to take the cube away, to throw it far, far away but every time it hurts my love more and more._

_I have decided it’s best for both of us to retire away from the bustling city. I do not know what else to do. The cube refuses to leave Eva’s side and just last week, she blew up our entire block. I was quick to erase the traces and make it seem like an unfortunate explosion with the violate crystals imported by the council from the heart of Africa._

_There is a place. Unplanted land, away from the city, away from the curious eyes, away from everything. I could build a cottage there. We have the money. And Eva would be safe there. Others would be safe from Eva and the cube…_

_The cube would be safely hidden away from curious eyes. And I pray no Hardbroom will ever become foolish enough to attempt discovering its secrets.’_

Pippa turned back to the first entry. She noted the year and who’s hand it was. Angela Kaiser’s father wrote the first entry years after Alfred Hardbroom wrote his. But Angela married into the Hardbroom family long after Alfred had died. It didn’t add up. Had the pages been scrambled? Put together incorrectly when the book was being shaped? No, that couldn’t be it.

She turned to browse through the pages between the journal entries and noted the various designs and notes circling around a single item: Pandora’s Cube. It was no larger than four inches in length, height, and width. The drawings never told of what material it was made of but it revealed with all clarity the unique symbols etched into all six sizes. There was no sign of an opening, no little hatches, no buttons, no keyhole.

In all honesty, Pippa had never heard of Pandora’s Cube. Not in legends of the past nor myths that were related to the witching world nor in children’s stories. She had heard of Pandora’s Box from Greek mythology but who hadn’t? And a box wasn’t a cube. She highly doubted the two were related. 

She wanted to pondered more of the interesting but confusing entries when the wind beckoned her down to another series of entries, further along in the book, these written by Hecate’s parents. The first came in Raigar’s hand.

_‘I fear for the state of the council. It appears to be heading towards the reefs where we will run aground and without the proper guidance, become trapped there for years. It is a foolish notion planted in their minds that we require a single person in power. Such has never helped the magical world, only served to divide them further. It took decades, the careful arrangements of marriages, treaties, and more to unite the magical community and now they wish to divide it? Utter fools! ___

____

____

_My beloved tells me not to worry. It is a passing phase and I pray she is right but something that idiotic Hallow said makes me think otherwise. It was in passing that I heard it and I could have sworn I knew exactly of what he spoke._

_What are the odds, I wonder? The odds the Hallows could know of such a thing. It isn’t like them to know unless they were being influenced by the moronic, pigheaded Barron clan. The Barrons seek absolute power and this foolish title of Great Wizard they keep throwing around. ‘United under a single name to usher forth the magical world into greatness!’_

_Doesn’t that just make you want to throw up?_

_No, the Barron mentioned a specific cube, lost to the pages of history, believed to be a myth, but its power was that of divinity. I know what he speaks of and I fear it greatly. But I cannot allow the Barron to find it. I cannot allow the fate of our people to fall into his hands.’_

The following entry also in Raigar’s hand.

_‘I have spoken with Margery, revealed the hidden family relic that hides out in the cottage. I pretend not to have seen it for I haven’t. But it has been a well guarded family secret and I do not wish to burden her now that she is pregnant with our third child. But I have not been sleeping well. The Barron and his lackey, Hallow trouble me. The cube troubles me._

_My beloved knows what ails me now and bless her heart, has suggest we move out to the cottage. She had been there before. Our wedding ceremony took place by the sea. It was a stunning day and yet I am scared of bringing my family out there. If the cube truly exists out there, it would only spell trouble for my family but I cannot allow the snooping Barron his prize.’_

Several days later, a fresh entry:

_‘Hallow and I came to blows, arguments over the recent state of matters, and the council sought fit to suspend me. Unlike he who was completely removed from the seat he once held, but I fear the Barron had planned this. Something about his expression should his pleasure at the incident. He would not allow a duel to take place as the hotheaded Hallow nearly threw out and that further raises my suspicions._

_We move to the cottage in the morning. I pray the cube has been destroyed. There have been a number of Hardbrooms who have attempted the feat with no success but from my retraces I have found no talk or mention of the cube for several generations.’_

Two days later:

_‘My wife is pregnant with a girl! It is blessed news and has me filled with pride and excitement. Our move to the cottage has been met with success. The council does not question my decision when I told them it would be better for my wife and children. My trusted friend, Algernon has promised my seat awaits me after the birth of my daughter and the whole matter will be put behind us. I hope he is right._

_Tonight I have discovered the cube. My thoughts of its destruction were in vain but I can see how no one could destroy it. A smooth metal thing, lightweight, but something about the power inside it hums when I hold it in my hand. Something inside beckons me closer but the cube cannot be allowed its whisperings. I must find a place to hide it, to put it away where it can never be found again.’_

Pippa paused. She wasn’t sure she wanted to read more. A brief glimpse at the next entry confirmed the feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach. Raigar hadn’t hidden the cube as he said he would instead he started becoming more and more obsessed with it. And over time that obsession added with the paranoia about the Barron and the Hallow men forced his hand. At least that was how Raigar explained it.

She did go on to read more and more of the entries. Enthralled, fascinated, then horrified. Raigar’s obsession turned into an insanity. He feared Barron and Hallow were watching him at every corner, following him, and he went on to start working from home. With the cube by his side. He studied the cube, poured over the notes made by previous Hardbroom family members who also grew obsessed with it and then to Pippa’s utter horror, he discovered a way to open it.

That night sleep did not come for Pippa. She finished reading the entries. The downward spiral of Raigar’s mental state, the opening of the cube, the sacrifices he did under the guise of love for his family. His son, Wilheim, suffered first. It was his blood used to open the cube but the strange part was Raigar didn’t speak of what he discovered inside of the cube. He only said it would bring his son back and fix the mistakes gathering wind within the magical community. 

Then the entries stopped. The book was silent for a long time until the writing, dating down to several months, appeared in a woman’s script. It was Margery who explained the horror of what her husband had done. And she was forced to stop him by the only means she knew of: a dreaded deal with the Fae folk of the Otherworld. By this time Raigar had already sacrificed Gwen to the cube, unsealing its centuries old bounds and Margery couldn’t allow it to go further. She refused to lose another child. 

Pippa stared in disbelief at the final entry. The entry that explained so much and so little. It brought forth more questions. Questions about what exactly happened to the cube and what happened to Hecate and the sort of confinement placed upon her in the Otherworld and how she was able to return to this world because when she noted the last entry, she saw writing in the bottom. The candle light refused to translate it but the single sentence was written in a hand she knew all too well, Hecate’s hand.

****

The morning brought with it cloudy skies and sadness within the cottage. Pippa must have dozed lightly in the chair because when she woke there was an uncomfortable strain in her neck. The black leather bound book still lay on the table, the candle snuffed out, and the writing returned to its original unknown language. She rubbed an exhausted hand over her face, her mind numb, uncertain of what she should be feeling, let alone thinking.

It was no secret dealings with the Fae folk had been done before. But that was long ago when the Fae supposedly still walked alongside the witches, when magic was confined to the forests and the misty mountains. But what she had read…

Pippa looked up at the rest of the books on the shelves. There had to be more. Hecate had come back from the Otherworld and she must have kept an account of what happened or made notes of memories. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she got up, feeling a heavy strain in her lower back from sleeping in the chair. She walked over to the book shelf and stared at the unmarked tomes. Which one held the answers she wanted? Just as she was about to reach out, an unknown force pushed her back.

“Don’t,” the softness of Hecate’s voice appeared in the observatory. Slowly her ghost came back to view, “Please, Pippa, don’t go looking any further.”

“How can I not?” Pippa looked at her ghost. There was joy in her heart but also a heavy sadness. She saw the way the light filtered through the other and the confusion in her mind was beginning to break her heart. “How can you expect me to leave it alone?”

“Because you’ll regret what you find and you’ll run from this place.”

“You sound so very convinced of that.”

“Pippa… please, don’t.”

“Then tell me where you went.”

“I can’t.”

“I could help you.”

“No,” Hecate shook her head, “I did what I did of my own decision. You cannot change the past.”

“Why do you carry the burden of your parents?” Pippa frowned, “You didn’t make that decision.”

“No, but I made the decision that came after that. And it’s best if you never discover that truth. If you read from those, I will never return.”

“Hecate,” began Pippa but their conversation did not continue when the doorbell rang. It must be Julie with Mildred and the others for the birthday party. She wanted to send them away, to stay here in the observatory, to learn the truth, to fix what supposedly cannot be fixed. Because she didn’t for one minute believe that Hecate’s burden was hers alone. But it still raised the question as to who showed her the journal in the first place? It wasn’t by Hecate’s hand. No, it must have been someone else. Pippa opened her mouth to say something but her ghost still wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“You should answer that.” There was a final sadness in Hecate’s voice that the witch couldn’t place and just as she was about to respond, her ghost faded away.

****

The doorbell rang again and again, forcing Pippa to leave the observatory and the moment she stepped over the threshold, the door closed and the lock clicked into place. Frustration stirred in Pippa’s magic but she quickly changed her clothes and hurried downstairs. With a warm, inviting smile she greeted the birthday child, her friends, and Julie and Dimity. The party began but Pippa’s thoughts were a million miles away.

After the fifth time of her friends asking if she was alright, she hissed out a remark then apologized, saying she hadn’t slept well the night before. Julie and Dimity were hesitant to push the subject and when Mildred began opening her presents, all the adults were relieved. That was until Julie saw the potion starter set Pippa had gotten her. Mildred, however, was over the moon and Julie couldn’t bring herself to take it away.

Mildred, Enid, and Maud ran outside to the backyard where the sun was finally beginning to peak through the clouds in the early afternoon. Mildred ripped open the box and the three of them began setting it up. 

“What should we try out first, Millie?” asked Enid, flipping through the mini spellbook that came with the set.

“Something that’s not dangerous,” said Maud, taking the spellbook, “Like this one where we could grow our own flowers.”

“Ugh, that’s boring,” said Enid.

Mildred worked on setting up the little fireplace and then the cauldron stand. She was extra careful because she didn’t want her mom to take the best birthday present ever away on the very first day. Once she had the cauldron hanging on its little bar above the firepit with stones around it. She looked at her friends, “What does the book give us?”

“Growing flowers, making slime, turning paper into a bat, or some thing that’s supposed to make the water sing,” said Maud, looking through the book carefully.

Enid heaved a heavy dramatic sigh, “But that’s so boring.”

“Quite right,” came the sharp voice of Hecate Hardbroom. Enid and Maud froze where they were but Mildred beamed at the sudden appearance of the ghost.

“You came!”

“So I did,” agreed the ghost. She flicked her wrist and summoned forth a mini scroll and presented it to Mildred, “Done correctly, you’ll create your own fireworks. It’s a harmless potion but quite fun.” Hecate looked at Enid, who at first gulp but then couldn’t stop the grin from decorating her face. 

“Open it, Millie!”

Mildred carefully broke the wax seal and unrolled the scroll. She read off the list of ingredients but noticed none of those were included in the starter kit.

“You’ll find what you need in the garden. If you are a true witch,” commented Hecate.

Mildred was definitely determined to prove that she was a witch to the ghost and with the help of her friends, they roamed the garden. Taking care when they went through the herbs, playing extra close attention to the wildflowers growing, and then staring at the delicate rose bushes underneath the observatory.

No one ever touched the rose bushes except for Pippa. Somehow they were always off limits, an unspoken rule and now they, Mildred especially, were terrified of incurring the wrath of the blonde witch. However, the cottage’s ghost plucked the reddest rose from one of the higher branches and offered it up to Mildred. “One red rose. Do not let it go to waste.”

The friends nodded and with their bundle of ingredients rushed back to their little cauldron. With the wave of her hand, Hecate ignited the small fire beneath it and hovered in the background. The friends poured over the spell, reading each step carefully.

From the doorway leading out to the garden, Pippa leaned against the wood, a soft smile on her face at the events transpiring. She had a feeling Hecate would show up for Mildred’s birthday and then offering up a better spell than those boring ones that came with the kit was her way of presenting a gift. It caused her heart to flutter at the gentle sight playing out in front of her. She still contented with the journal entries she had spent all night reading and the words Hecate had told her in the observatory early that morning.

She wanted to pull her ghost aside, to discuss the matters of the entries because there was another deeper secret there. Both Hecate’s parents made sacrifices. One was done in madness but with good intentions, the other was done to end the madness and with heartbreak but there must have been more. Because Hecate survived. She lived on even when the rest of the world declared the Hardbroom family line as deceased. Even now, there had to be a logical explanation as to why Hecate was a ghost. 

Pippa didn’t believe it to be unfinished business as Julie had told Mildred when asked about ghosts. She didn’t believe Hecate had unfinished business. Instead she believed Hecate remained behind to protect something or guard something or something along those lines. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. The witch had an inkling it had to do with the cube. Perhaps it wasn’t destroyed at the last journal entry suggested but there wasn’t any way it was still here in the cottage. The cottage had been nothing more than ruins and when Pippa cleared away everything, there was no cube or similar thing akin to a cube. 

She was jolted from her thoughts when the first bang went off. Looking at the friends and watching their faces filled with delight as fireworks began shooting out of the cauldron and exploding in the sky above the house, harmless sparks raining down. Pippa met Hecate’s gaze, unspoken words lingered between them, and Pippa’s mind was made up.

She had to know.

She had to know the truth.

She had to know what truly happened to Hecate Hardbroom. Consequences be damned but she would learn all she could even with the threat uttered this morning, because in her heart she believed there was something she could do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't disappoint anyone  
> There's more to come and I really hope everyone will stick around for it. Oh man, nervous I am.  
> See you in the next chapter!  
> Stay breath taking, my readers, stay amazing. You're all wonderful


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are amazing. I'm super glad the last chapter went over well, let's see what everyone thinks of this one. It's a bit shorter but it gets everything across although there is still a slight mystery out there. Anyway, read on and I'll just sit back nervously

The birthday party ended around eight when, with drooping eyes, Julie and Dimity gathered up the three sleepy children and bundled them in the car. Pippa had offered to let them spend the night but she was quietly relieved when Julie passed up on the matter. She said the blonde witch looked like she needed sleep and Pippa didn’t disagree. 

That night the cottage was quiet. She waited for Hecate to appear but her ghost never came and when she went upstairs, she found the observatory door locked. Her mind still spun when she lay in bed, staring at the naked ceiling. At some point sleep did claim her and she never noticed Hecate for once appearing in her bedroom. Their unspoken respect of privacy ignored as she looked down at the sleeping witch. 

“There’s so much I wish I could tell you,” whispered Hecate, gently reaching out and brushing a lose strand of hair from the blonde’s face. Her hand withdrew when the other stirred ever so slightly. “So much you don’t know about everything, about my family, about me. But I can’t risk it. I can’t risk your life for the sake of the feelings in my heart.”

Hecate looked around the bedroom. Its walls dusted a light rose gold pink. At first she hadn’t liked the color, found it appalling and distasteful. Now she realized it was very much suited to the sleeping witch. The white with golden inlay designed curtains swayed when the ghost walked the room, lost in thought.

It was supposed to be simple. The rebuilt cottage, her observatory where she could stand watch from the ideal location, yet she hadn’t expected this closeness to brew between her and the owner. She held no intention of getting involved in the lives of the living but that rule was quickly and so easily broken when it came to Pippa. The witch was good, kind, with a pure heart and soul. Somewhere along the line Hecate fell for the blonde unlike anyone she had ever known before. It was a terrifying feeling, yes. The fact she was a ghost…well…somewhat of a ghost created a larger problem and she had wanted to keep her distance, to let the blonde live whatever sort of life she wanted. She hadn’t known the blonde would seek her out or that Hecate would let herself be found constantly.

They were separated by centuries and heavy secrets she didn’t want to burden Pippa with. Because they were secrets that could put the witch in grave danger without her knowledge and that felt like a harsh betrayal. Hecate knew what she had to do, what she should know but it didn’t make it any easier.

She looked back to the sleeping witch, her heart clenched painfully at the plan running through her head, and as she took a step closer, she stopped. Her back tensed as she felt the another presence lingering outside. Frowning, Hecate turned to the door, “You shouldn’t be here.”

****

Pippa awoke the next morning with the first rays of the sun peeking through her curtains and smiled at the late warmth being offered up. She felt well rested. Her mind clear for once as she slowly got out of bed. Going over to the window, she looked outside at the autumn weather. Her gaze was quickly drawn to the lighthouse. Something in her mind was telling her she should check it out. She never held an interest in the lighthouse. Not once since moving here, seeing it as a mere relic from the old days but with the discovery of what actually happened to the Hardbroom family and with the light coming from the lighthouse the previous night then surely some clue could exist within it.

After her shower and getting dressed in warm clothes, Pippa looked down the hall to the observatory. The door still locked but this time a chill went down her spine. She didn’t sense her ghost anywhere within the cottage. But it was different this time. It wasn’t as mysterious as before yet she didn’t believe Hecate willingly erased her presence. Whatever was binding her ghost in the times when she wasn’t in the cottage, it had to be stopped. Pippa knew it.

It was a strange startling realization at her thoughts. At some point last night she fully committed to solving the Hardbroom mystery and the quiet voice in her heart told her that her ghost wouldn’t fully disappear. Not now, not when Pippa believed her ghost wasn’t actually a ghost. Yes, sleep had done her good. It cleared her mind and with a fresh perspective, Pippa left the cottage and made her way towards the lighthouse.

The walk was refreshing. The air crisp. A light wind blew, not yet full with autumn’s chill but present enough to tell it was here to stay. Pippa looked out at the sea. Its waves white and restless, curling over itself and rising as if the sea was breathing.

It took a good twenty minutes to make it to the lighthouse and up close it looked worse than from a distance. There were cracks running along its base. One nasty crack ran half way up the side of the lighthouse. Some of the glass above was broken, letting the wind whistle through its openings. The desolate state of the lighthouse showed no signs of vandalism or that anyone had visited it in recent years. The overgrown weeds and wildflowers circling the lighthouse were thick and lined with small needles.

Pippa circled it once then again. Much to her surprise it didn’t have a door. She didn’t trust the rusty upper railing around the glass. It creaked from the slight wind and she dared not use magic to enter the lighthouse from above. Instead Pippa turned around, looking out at sea then down to the village. It was still as deserted as the last time. 

Her thoughts turned back to the observatory. It was clear the lighthouse held no secrets but that room in her cottage did. It was probably a treasure trove as to what Hecate did while she was still living and Pippa dared to believe it was connected to the cube. Hecate was smart, precise, and every vigilant. Her ghost would have done something with the cube and probably succeeded when everyone else failed. Of course, that felt a bit like putting too much faith in the ghost but from what Pippa knew, it was justified. 

She turned to head back to her cottage when a flickering light caught her eye. Looking back at the lighthouse, she saw a magical sigil carve its mark along the cracked surface before solidifying into a door. Cautiously she walked closer. She glanced over her shoulder but the wind was her only constant companion and when Pippa touched the rough wood of the door, it creaked under the weight.

Using more force than expect, Pippa pushed open the door. The air was musky and dry. Inside the lighthouse looked far worse than her cottage did when she first came across it. Rotten planks of wood littered the ground in various piles. High above the rusty metal railing creaked from the wind filtering in through the holes in the glass, and dust lined the air. There appeared to be no source of the light she had seen two nights ago. Where the light resided, was a bent and twisted hub of metal. From this distance she thought it appeared melted but she couldn’t be certain.

Carefully stepping on several planks of wood, Pippa moved deeper into the lighthouse but whatever she was seeking didn’t reveal itself. Instead the lighthouse was nothing more than a broken, desolate, empty cylinder. The journey was a waste. 

She was about to leave when a glint of silver blinded her. Upon closer inspection, she found a small three branched little bush growing in the ruins of the lighthouse. Its wood was made of elegant silver and it was foreign to these parts. Pippa reached out and plucked it from the ground, surprised at the ease it left the ground. Examining it closer, the witch felt something odd about the little plant but before she could investigate further a piercing wail filled the inside of the lighthouse. 

Wincing at the noise, Pippa looked around to see a tear ripping apart the seams of the inside. She watched terrified at the swirling mass of dark colors and the devastating lightning flashing repeatedly across it. The wind picked up but not from the outside. This wind was strictly limited to the inside and threw debris from the ground across the small area. 

She thought she saw something moving within the tear but her vision quickly became blocked out by black. She felt herself being pressed against a warm body. The wind howled but whoever was holding her turned her face away from the tear above. Suddenly everything went white.

When Pippa opened her eyes again, she was lying on her couch in the living room. Silence filled the cottage causing her ears to ring at the sharp adjustment. She looked around but found the room empty. Quickly getting off the couch she moved to go to the stairs but her head lost its vertigo and she tumbled forward. She was about to hit the ground when those familiar strong arms grasped her shoulders. Her vision became blurry but she felt the person lift her off her feet, tucking an arm under her knees and carry her back to the couch. 

Vaguely she could make out a face with dark hair. She reached out, her hand being grasped by the warmth of another, then everything went black.

****

Pippa slept for two days. Her dreams were a mess. She saw Hecate, alive and well, but something wasn’t right. Hecate was angry, arguing with a woman whose hair was dark but slowly adorned with silver streaks. The woman listened closely, nodding, allowing her ghost to say her words before she spoke in a calm voice. It served only to ignite the argument further. In one such dream the woman with the salt and pepper hair waved her hand, banishing her ghost from the room, as she made her way over to the couch where Pippa rested. 

The witch tried to speak but she couldn’t. Her mouth was too dry, her thoughts too scrambled, her magic weakened by something beyond her. She heard words though. Soothing words, comforting words, words that almost sounded like instructions but in her foggy state she couldn’t quite make them out. A glint of silver appeared in her foggy vision and she tried to move her hand but her body just felt too heavy.

Falling back into darkness, it would be mid afternoon when Pippa woke again. This time what strangeness had ailed her was long gone. She slowly sat up, feeling a pain in her lower back from the rest she acquired on the couch. Gingerly touching her forehead, Pippa closed her eyes, trying to think back but the mere effort of it caused her to wince. When she opened her eyes again, she found the silver little bush on the small living room table and just stared at it. 

It had come from the lighthouse. But what happened after that?

Her memory was too scrambled on the matter and before she could think further on it, her stomach growled. She was reluctant to leave the odd little bush in the living room but she highly doubted it would go anywhere while she went to the kitchen. She didn’t bother checking her phone, let alone the current date, her mind still wrapped in a fog that she couldn’t stand. As she pulled out some bread, lettuce, tomato, and turkey to fix herself a sandwich, she was overcome by a sudden dread. Her hands trembled as she made her sandwich and she had to steady herself several times when she made her way to the table.

The dread grew heavier and heavier. Something was terribly wrong but what? What could it be? After finishing her sandwich, her mind seeping into all possibilities from things she could have forgotten to accidents and incidents to the mundane and meaningless, she drank from her freshly brewed tea and a gasp escaped her lips. The tea cup slipped from her hands, shattering against the wooden table, but the sound went ignored in her mind.

Pippa bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and ran down the hallway, stopping with a racing heart at the observatory door. She raised her hand to knock but it already swung open. Fully inviting her in except for the cold air rushing free from within.

The witch steeled herself but her muscles trembled, anxiety and worry gnawed at her heart, and when she stepped inside she saw a tall figure. She was about to address her ghost but Hecate’s name died on her tongue when she found herself face to face with an older Margery Hardbroom. 

****

“Fret not, child,” said Margery Hardbroom, “I intend no harm nor am I a ghost.” 

“Where-” Pippa hated the way her voice faltered and cleared her throat, “Where’s Hecate?”

“Gone, I’m afraid,” said Margery, “What do you remember from inside the lighthouse?”

Pippa shook her head, “No, no, what do you mean she’s gone?”

Margery looked at the blonde young witch. Her forest green eyes bored into the other with an intensity all to similar to Hecate’s but unlike her ghost’s, those green eyes were unnerving, questioning, searching, relentless. “She is attending to personal matters.”

Pippa opened her mouth to ask another question but the door suddenly flung closed behind her. A chair tucked itself around her body and she was moved further into the room. Margery remained perfectly still. Her unreadable eyes trained upon the witch like a hawk and suddenly Pippa became quite scared. Scared and confused. “How are you alive?”

“All in due time,” said Margery, “Now the lighthouse. What do you remember?”

Pippa wanted to say nothing, that she couldn’t remember what happened after she pulled the silver bush free from its isolated place but that would have been a lie. Flashes were filtering back in, dark clouds, a tear, and that dreadful wailing. “There was a tear inside of the lighthouse.”

“What did you see in the tear?”

Pippa shook her head. “Nothing, darkness and lightning. Someone was wailing. It sounded so painful.”

“You’ve read the book, I take it.”

“Yes.”

“And the others?”

“No, not yet.”

“Hmm, no doubt Hecate has warned you against doing so.” Margery folded her hands together and observed the witch. “My daughter’s intentions are well meaning but they will not serve either of you.”

“What?” Pippa was confused and the single word she spoke made her feel foolish but what else could she say? There was something about this woman that she didn’t quite trust even if it was Hecate’s mother. The fact that the woman was still alive boggled her mind. “You made a deal with the Fae. That’s what you wrote.”

“Yes,” agreed the woman, “I know what I wrote but the Morrigan line has always been part Fae. I didn’t make a deal with half my kin. I returned to them with my youngest child and in turn they offered the protection and sheltering we required.” Margery gave a sad smile, “You never bothered looking into the Morrigan family line did you? I’m not surprised. The Hardbrooms have always been more interesting to most people and their sudden disappearance, well.” She sighed, “Everyone loves a good mystery.”

“You can’t be a Fae. Halflings have never existed,” said Pippa, her voice faltering ever so slightly and she did nothing to fix it. Her mind reeling at the subject because it simply couldn’t be true. The Fae were things of myths, mere stories to keep the children in line, nothing more than that, and to have half witch, half fae to exist… well that was just beyond belief because those unions shouldn’t be able to exist. 

“They never existed openly,” countered Margery, “We were kept secret. This world not quite agreeing with our bodies and when we became old enough, we returned home.”

“You didn’t,” Pippa looked at the older woman closely, noting the sadness in her usually unreadable eyes.

Margery smiled that sad smile, “I was endlessly fascinated with this world. Its wonders, its magic, its people. There was such richness here and kindness. The Fae are cold sort of folk. We don’t bank much on emotions. Those things come and go with the tides but humans, you’re made up of an array of emotions. They guide you. They drive you into the unknown. You love unconditionally, you hate violently, you’re filled with such passions. It’s easy to become enamored with that.”

“I left my people for this world,” continued Margery after several minutes of silence. “Portals existed all around and it was simple enough slipping through one of them. I had set out to learn more about your people, your cultures, but most importantly your magic. Unfortunately I didn’t know at that time the horrors your people were capable of.”

“Well I sought to learn more about you, your people sought ways to discovering us and opening our portals. They had soothsayers who predicted such matters and it wasn’t until much later when I learned those soothsayers were fellow Fae who had betrayed their own people and became intoxicated on your form of magic.” She looked at Pippa, “I suspect you know much of this.”

“No,” said the blonde witch, “This is the first time I’m hearing of it. We tell our children that Fae will steal them away if they misbehave but soothsayers? Are you suggesting there was a war between witches and the faery folk?”

“It was a century’s old war.”

“I’m sorry but that’s been erased from our history. No one remembers such a thing. No one even mentions the Hardbroom line anymore. The people in the village couldn’t even tell me anything about-”

“The village is dead,” interrupted Margery. “It has been since I returned to my people with my daughter. Raigar’s insanity knew no bounds.”

“But I met some of them.”

Margery, however, was already shaking her head. “You met remnants of them. The village is an illusion to keep most people away. I’m curious how you were able to come across this place.”

“I was just passing through,” said Pippa, “there was a storm brewing. I decided to find a place for the night.”

“And that brought you here.”

It was the silence that gave Pippa the courage to voice the single question that’s been lingering in her mind. “What’s going on here?”

“Pandora’s Cube has been fully opened and it ripped my daughter’s soul in half. Part of her exists here in this cottage and other is trapped in the Otherworld. In the very place I cannot follow, I cannot save her. But you could. You found the key in the lighthouse.”

Pippa’s mind reeled. “The silver bush,” she whispered. But her mind echoed the possibility of saving her ghost. If, of course, Margery was telling the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I'll see you in the next one.  
> Stay the perfect little rays of sunshine that all of you are


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your reviews are amazing and I cherish each and every one. I also cherish the readers who aren't commenting. Just giving this story a read is amazing enough for me.  
> Also ariel, a guest reader, I'd love to collab on a graphic novel. Like that would be epic and fun on so many levels. if you're serious, hit me up sometime and we'll chat!  
> On to the chapter!

Margery Hardbroom had left before the sun set, leaving through the front door, and walking down to the village. She had urged Pippa to think the matter through with great care because it was a serious matter. She said she’d be back in a week from today and before she left she removed a book from the shelf, suggesting Pippa read it then make her decision. 

Pippa remained in the observatory, staring at the leather bound book. Its weight foreign and heavy. For once she wasn’t quite sure if she actually wanted to read it even as she peeled back the cover and turned to the first page. 

Hecate’s writing stared at her. The swift smooth, precise strokes of the feather quill, the slight slant in her s’s and the curled loops at the bottom of certain letters made it feel like an invasion of privacy. Pippa closed the book, pushing it away from her. Although her curiosity was great, her respect and love for Hecate far outweighed it and so the witch sat at the desk, staring at the book, thinking over what Margery Hardbroom had said in silence.

The quiet gave her the undistracted means at delving deeper into the conversation they had. The supposed war that had happened between the magical world and the fae folk. Could it have been true? Did it happen? Pippa couldn’t say yes but she couldn’t deny it either. It was a tricky subject she decided to handle carefully. There was no doubt the council could cover up such a thing. Be it this council or the various councils overseas but why? If it held such relevance to their history and such significance in the greatness of magic then why hide it? 

That thought led to another: was the Morrigan line part Fae? Could such halfings exist? Without the proper understanding or knowledge of the Fae, this she couldn’t answer. She supposed anything was possible but with the mythos surrounding the Fae it almost felt like an impossibility given how most cultures believed the Fae to be ethereal creatures, existing in realms far beyond this one. 

All of this was bringing on a headache, a headache and more confusion and less answers as the pile of questions continued to grow. Pippa groaned, dropping her head into her hands and closed her eyes. All she wanted was Hecate. She didn’t care about this Pandora’s Cube that drove people insane with whatever it held inside. She didn’t care about the war that might or might not have existed between the witching world and Fae. She didn’t care about the Morrigan line being part Fae, which, if true, meant Hecate was also part Fae but did that make Pippa love her any less?

In short the answer was no. She loved the quirks and the faults of her ghost, the dry comments and witty remarks, the questioning mind, the argumentative nature of her, those beautiful intense dark eyes, that hair she wanted to pull out of its bun and bury her fingers in, and so much more. The past didn’t matter. History would not change her love for the ghost that came with her cottage. But would she go to extreme lengths to bring her ghost back to the world of the living? Was Pippa prepared and willing to risk that on the off chance at a normal and physical relationship? She knew if she carried the slightest hesitation she could put everything in jeopardy. 

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” Hecate said, slowly coming into view by the window.

Pippa noticed the sky had already darkened. The moon slowly rising from beyond the sea and a few stars shining scattered along. “And if we could actually be together, would you deny me that?” Her voice was quiet, painfully shy, and terrified of the answer. “I heard you in my room that night, after the birthday party. So don’t deny you feel nothing.”

“It doesn’t matter what I feel. Only a fool would go through with this notion.”

“Then consider me a fool.”

“Pippa,” Hecate shook her head, her eyes downcast, the sorrow ever so prominent on her features. “You cannot change the past. I could never ask that of you.”

The witch pushed back the chair and rose to her feet. “I’m not looking to change the past. I want to have you in the present.”

“It’s impossible.”

“Not from what your mother said.”

Hecate gave a humorless chuckle. “My mother.” The ghost sighed, turning to look out the window. “My mother is a complicated woman and anything she tells you should be taken with a health pinch of salt.”

“Hecate…”

“No, Pippa, banish this idea from your mind, cast it away from your thoughts. It’ll bring far more danger than you ever known. Get rid of the silver bush, move on, live your life.”

“But you are part of my life. Why can’t you see that?” Pippa felt the hot sting of the oncoming tears and willed them not to fall. Not yet. She had to know more. She picked up the book on the desk. “What is in here that terrifies you so much?”

“The truth,” said Hecate after turning away from the window and meeting Pippa’s gaze. She struggled finding the words at explaining the situation instead her throat closed at every attempt and she dropped her eyes from the witch. “Leave it be.”

“I-” Pippa stared and paused when she felt the first tear running down her cheek, “I can’t.” She watched as her ghost moved closer until the only thing separating them was the book Pippa was holding. 

“This will hurt both of us,” said Hecate softly. She rested her hand on the cover, “And if you run, never to come back, know that I won’t hold it against you.” A soft golden light ushered forth from below Hecate’s hand and then the ghost faded from sight, leaving Pippa alone in the hauntingly quiet observatory.

****

She wiped at her tears, angry at herself for not being able to keep them in, but also at the weakness of letting her heart show. In her mind she was so convinced of what she wanted to do, had to do as it was felt in her heart but at the same time she hadn’t considered to take Hecate’s feelings into consideration. There was something terrifying in her ghost’s past that it seemed she couldn’t confront and Pippa wanted to be her pillar of strength in such a time. But how could she when her ghost refused to let her in fully?

Pippa looked at the book in her hand, hoping against everything Hecate hadn’t erased all the pages, but somehow a voice in her mind told her that wasn’t why the ghost touched it. Carefully opening to the first page, Pippa swallowed the nervousness in her throat as her eyes scanned the beautiful writing. It was then she noticed it was written in perfect English compared to the unknown language she briefly glimpsed before.

Was the translation a sign of acceptance, of allowing her in even though Hecate’s words spoke of another? The questioning came later as Pippa began reading, absently walking over to the window’s cushion ledge and sitting down.

_‘Home._

_It is a strange word, applied to an even stranger place. The simplistic cottage was the place of my parents’ wedding and of my birth. I remember little of growing up here and even now there is a foreboding presence lingering about. I cannot place it but it does not scare me._

_There is a cloud that hangs over our family. Mother will not speak of it. My childhood memories of this place are too foggy to remember anything clearly but that does not mean it doesn’t exist. It hangs at every corner, follows behind at just the right pace, waiting, watching, lingering._

_Even now the words made me sound slightly insane but I know my sanity is still present and accounted for. I was brought up in a realm that never should have welcomed me but it did and the secrets it holds I cannot bear to put into words here._

_The realm is not of importance. What is of importance is what happened here more than twenty years ago. Mother said father was plagued by the council, hounded by enemies, and it left behind a heavy mark upon his mind. Of that I do not doubt but I cannot help feeling there is more to all of this.’_

She wondered why Margery wouldn’t have told Hecate the full story or why the memories from such events were blocked out unless there were done by magic but Margery wouldn’t use magic on her own child, would she?

_‘In the basement I discovered a most curious journal belonging to previous members of the Hardbroom line. It seems only fitting I take up my own now given what I know and should I fail. From what I have learned there will be no more Hardbrooms after I die, the weight of this madness cannot continue to spill into future generations. I could not bear the burden of such.’_

Pippa stopped and it was then she realized the journal’s entries were scrambled. Thrown out of chronological order and haphazardly strewn together and when Pippa turned the page, several of the entries simply disappeared. Flipping through the pages, the book suddenly caught fire, startling the witch. Pippa tossed it away, watching the flames devour the pages and without warning the book flew into the fireplace where it burst into a full fire.

Before she could call out to her ghost and demand an explanation, the ground shook. The first tremor wasn’t strong but it was enough to shake her stance. Pippa looked out the window and noticed the lighthouse begin splitting apart. She raced down stairs as a second tremor hit. This one strong enough to almost knock her over the railing of the staircase. Bolting through her front door, she turned on her heel just in time to witness the top of the lighthouse be ripped away. 

Fragments of stone, metal, and glass were sucked up into a spinning vortex. The wind whipped around her. The piercing wail from earlier echoed out of the lighthouse and Pippa attempted to brace herself against the tempestuous weather but it felt like the wind was pushing her closer and closer toward the lighthouse. She screamed when a branch came hurling at her from behind and she managed just to duck down.

She tried summoning her magic, to transfer back inside her cottage but for some reason it refused to heed her calling. Her feet were losing their traction as the wind continued to push her closer to the lighthouse. Looking at the cylinder she found almost nothing of it remained as the vortex high above in the sky continued sucking up the pieces.

A warm hand grasped her wrist and unexpected strength pulled her back to her feet. She found herself pressed against Hecate’s body, confused at the warmth she was feeling, confused at the wind.

“I’m sorry!” yelled Hecate over the wind. “I wanted you to learn the truth first but my mother disagreed!”

“What are you talking about?” Pippa asked, yelling even though they weren’t that far apart but the wind and the breaking of the lighthouse was surrounding them with chaotic noise.

“We don’t have enough time for me to explain! Here, take this!” Hecate held up the silver bush that should have still been in the cottage’s living room. “Find the willow’s oak! I’ll be there, waiting for you, and don’t-” But Hecate never got the chance to finish as dangerous red magic chain sprouted up from the ground and dragged her under.

“Hecate!” Pippa reached out for her ghost, falling to her knees but the wind was too strong. It continued forcing her back. She noticed the silver bush on the ground, surprised to see it still there until the wind lifted it away. She leapt after the bush, caught it but by then it was too late, the wind lifted the witch further away from the ground and hurling into the vortex.

****

The soft lulling sound of a bubbling brook eased Pippa back into consciousness. Slowly she blinked, her eyes opening at a cautious pace, and when she lifted her head a sharp pain drove through her temple. Moving her arm, she felt the pebbles underneath her palm, tiny rocks fell from her skin when she raised her hand and touched her forehead. Her fingertips came away with small traces of blood. It appeared whatever wound she sustained had already closed and that was alarm blared in Pippa’s senses.

She quickly sat up, ignoring the pain in her head and back. Scrapping the pebbles from her face and hands, she looked around and felt her breath get caught. Tall trees reached for the dusky purple sky, their leaves thick and a mixture of dark blues and rich forest greens, the bark looked incredibly black from the brief glimpses she could find whenever the wind brushed along the trees. 

Pippa turned around slowly, staring at this place that was nothing like her world and she realized she was far beyond the cottage. The pebbles beneath her feet were glimmering obsidian and the bubbling brook was gently moving with silver water. She wanted to admire the scenery more, to slowly explore it but something was telling her that wasn’t such a good idea. She patted down her clothes, searching for the silver bush and found it tucked away inside of her coat. Sighing in relief, Pippa heard the snapping of several twigs behind her.

Whirling around she heard the snapping of jaws and didn’t stick around to find out what was uttering such noises. She took off running along the creek until it vanished beneath several rocks. Unconsciously she made the decision to beeline to the left, heading deep into the forest where the bark of the trees truly was black and foreboding. Taking care not to touch them, something was telling her it wouldn’t result in anything good, Pippa slowed down her pace a bit. This time finally daring to look behind her.

At first she thought she was out of the woods, so to speak because the dense forest was filled with silence. There was no sign of anything following her, no creatures with hungry snapping jaws, no noise, nothing. She stopped, letting out a relieved breath, and began attempting to regulate her breath.

A light caught her attention. This small golden orb bobbing back and forth, drawing closer and closer. That’s when she heard it: the snapping of those jaws. Her eyes widened and she ran.

She didn’t know how long she was running or even where she was going but the snapping of the jaws was drawing closer and closer at every turn. The trees suddenly parted and she found herself skirting to a halt at the edge of a cliff. Peering over she saw the massive drop and the pool of silver water below, Pippa slowly backed away. Just as she was about to pick a direction, the sound of chains tightening echoed behind her. Slowly turning around, the witch came face to face with a group of five armored soldiers. 

Their armor was delicately curved to match the forest leaves and the metal work was inlaid with a design she felt was as foreign as her presence within this realm. She saw none of their faces, given the helmets they wore which cast most of their upper faces in shadows. By one she caught the sight of a pale pointed chin but that was before a sharp bark drew her attention away.

Each of the soldiers was holding a heavy chain which led to five different beasts. Their scaled fur vibrated along their growls, turning from green to yellow or from blue to purple, one went from orange to red. And while Pippa didn’t know what these creatures were the colors spoke enough of a warning that she took several steps back, stopping only when the edge of her heel kicked several pebbles down the cliff.

“Your presence is requested by Queen Morrigan, witch,” spat the soldier in the middle. He loosened the hold on his chain and the black eyed beast snapped forward.

“Jump,” whispered a familiar voice into Pippa’s ear.

“Are you insane?” hissed Pippa. She looked over her shoulder but there was no one there. She couldn’t be losing her mind could she?

“I won’t let anything happen to you but you need to stay out of my mother’s reach,” whispered her ghost, “Jump. Trust me, Pippa.”

“Trust you when I can’t even see you.” Pippa looked back at the soldiers and saw each of them drawing closer, the beasts they held revealed their jagged teeth, drool pooling around their drawn back lips, dripping to the ground.

“We haven’t the time to argue. Jump!”

Pippa tried weighing her options when she felt a sudden push and found herself in freefall. The cliffs edge became smaller and smaller until she hit the water and was surrounded by silver liquid. 

The soldiers and their beasts looked over the edge, noting the witch wasn’t going to come back up, and slinked away. Their queen would not be pleased with this news.

****

Pippa woke up coughing the water from her lungs. Groggily she looked behind her but the cliff was nowhere to be seen instead her surroundings were peaceful and quiet. She could have enjoyed it if it wasn’t for the fact she was pushed off a cliff. Spitting the remaining water from her mouth, she climbed to her feet. Her clothes were soaked through and she brushed the dirt from her wet jeans. 

“‘Trust me’ she says. ‘Jump,’ she says and then pushes me. Why not just do that in the first place!”

Pippa walked away from the water’s edge and was about to sit down when an intense heat came from inside of her jacket. She scrambled to pull out the silver bush and as she did so, was blinded by the radiating light coming from it. 

The small bush began pulling her in a direction, forcing the witch to quicken her pace. After a brief walk away from the water, she found herself in the shadow of a lone tree. Its towering height blocked out most of the sky. Its thick canvas of leaves was a lush deep crimson and its bark glinted with soft cerulean blue.

The silver bush was yanked out of Pippa’s hand and pressed against the cerulean bark. A second later a glowing gateway appeared and from the gateway came a familiar hand, waiting for the blonde witch to accept.

Slowly Pippa moved closer, holding out her hand until it slotted against Hecate’s, and the witch stepped through. The gateway closing behind her. The silver bush gone, it had served its purpose, and the entrance to the Otherworld remained sealed, safe from unwelcome guests.

The first thing Pippa did when the blinding light faded away and she saw her ghost in full clarity and solid form was wrap her arms around the very warm and very much alive body and simply hold her in an embrace Pippa had yearned for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We draw closer to more truths and more things will be revealed but I know right now everyone is just happy about the fact that they are hugging!  
> You guys are great. All of you. Stay the fantastic, unique, and gifted you that you know you are  
> I'll see you in the next chapter


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another chapter. I'm hoping to finish this soon but we'll see how it goes. Thank you to everyone who's either joining or returning, you're amazing

“You’re wet.”

“Well someone pushed me off a cliff.”

“Hmm,” hummed Hecate, “I wonder who that was.”

Pippa drew away ever so slightly and shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she felt her ghost’s hand cup her cheek. Her eyes closed at the feeling and she couldn’t help leaning into the touch. Suddenly her clothes were dry and any lingering water ebbed away as she felt the sly, dark, and powerful magic of Hecate’s wash over her with a simple spell. “I- Thank you,” she said softly.

“It’s the least I could do,” murmured Hecate. She dropped her gaze and withdrew her hand, “Come, we have a long way to go before we’ll have some shelter.”

It was then she noticed the dark skies and the rolling thunder. An occasional bolt of lightning lit up the heavy, dark clouds but it was the thunder that startled her. Each time it rolled across the sky before cleaving the very fabric of the clouds. It almost felt as though the storm would rip apart the skies just like the tear had torn apart the lighthouse. 

“What is this place?”

“It used to be the Otherworld. Now this is all that remains,” said Hecate. She stepped along the jagged rocks before turning back and offering her hand to Pippa, carefully guiding her through the terrain as she kept a firm yet gentle hold on the witch’s hand. 

“What happened?” Pippa saw the state of the land. The numerous rocks and cliff sides. A terrible beat of thunder echoed above and when she looked across the dark expanse she saw one of the cliffs simply give way, crumbling and ushering its rocks down a bitter descent, some fell into the deep restless waters. 

“It’s best we talk about that when we’re safe. I will answer all your questions,” promised Hecate and Pippa believed her.

The witch gave her ghost, who was quite real here, a reassuring squeeze to her hand and kept her questions at bay. She allowed Hecate to lead her through the steep upward climb on the slick rocky steps carved into the rock wall. At one point lightning struck just above them. Hecate moved with faster reflexes, pressing Pippa’s back against the wet wall, and sheltering her with her own body. When the falling rocks stopped, Hecate looked up before deeming it safe enough to move. Pippa couldn’t quite quell the racing of her heart until several minutes later. 

She stayed close to the dark haired woman, slipping only once when the thunder startled her after such a long silence. Hecate was there, however, holding her steady, guiding her back to her feet. Whatever fright that once resided in Pippa’s heart vanished because she knew Hecate wouldn’t allow any harm to befall her. 

Their walk continued until they finally reached the pale yellow grass and the dark clouds above were more scattered. It was still dark, the rain continued its never monsoon like fall, but the thunder had dissipated and the silence was only broken by the howling wind. Their clothes stayed dry thanks to Hecate’s magic and Pippa hadn’t dared use her own yet. She still felt the emptiness from earlier and couldn’t help wondering if her magic didn’t work here. If that was true then… well, she didn’t exactly want to think about that instead she picked up the pace, walking side by side with her ghost.

The terrain was mostly flat, long winding hills stretched beyond them, but the path Hecate led them on didn’t require traversing the hills, something Pippa was rather grateful for. She was tired, happy but slowly becoming more and more exhausted. 

“It’s not much further,” said Hecate but the blonde witch couldn’t quite make out the words. She vaguely heard them. Her vision drifting in and out of clarity and before she knew it, she was falling forward.

Hecate caught the witch long before she could come close to the ground and examined her closely. She could sense the magical fatigue even though Pippa wasn’t using any magic and then Hecate could have slapped herself for the irresponsible nature of her actions. She should have seen it coming. Quickly removing her pendant watch from her body, she draped the long chain around Pippa’s neck and uttered a protection spell. It would take time but that would prevent the Otherworld and the fae realm from draining any more of the young witch’s power.

She picked up the unconscious witch and transferred away. It wasn’t something she had wanted to attempt with Pippa awake because too many variables could have come into effect and she’d rather not cause any unintentional harm. But with the protect spell weaving into place, Hecate risked it. She couldn’t keep Pippa further exposed to the unnatural elementals.

Once she appeared within the little sheltered cave she found high on the tallest mountain, Hecate waved her hand, igniting the fire before carefully placing the unconscious witch on a thick bundle of furs. The cave was the ideal home here in the Otherworld for Hecate. It was wide enough with a high ceiling that offered plenty of fresh air from the entrance. Her firepit was dug out in the center, with a simple spell it heated the cave and the rocky walls absorbed the heat, returning it long after the fire went out.

To one side she had managed to make a makeshift shelf filled with various books on potions and journal entries of her thoughts. It passed the time well enough and kept her from losing her mind. It also helped organize her thoughts and the next stages of the plan. Of course, never in her centuries long confinement did she ever think she’d receive a visitor. Hecate looked at the recovering witch and plucked one of the books from its place.

It hovered beside her then flipped open, presenting her the ideal potion. She looked it over carefully. Her enchanted books were never wrong but this was Pippa. Pippa from the cottage in the real world and she refused to take chances. The odd second guessing wouldn’t hurt. After she nodded, the book floated towards the little stove she made where her cauldron hung. Herbs floated down from their hanging places along the walls, knives and cutting boards came out, and soon enough the rich aroma began filling the inside of the cave.

Time didn’t matter here in the Otherworld. It was a realm that time had long abandoned or perhaps never touched but given what Hecate had done, another force was actively destroying the Otherworld. Before that could happen, she would have to get Pippa back to the real world. No matter the cost.

She paced restlessly. Sleep no longer coming to her, too much exposure to the Otherworld, and besides she already died once, what did sleep matter? Her thoughts constantly wavered back to the sleeping witch. Was Pippa alright? Had this place already drained her too much? Had her mother cast a hidden spell? But even as Hecate worked, she found no traces of any magic be it her mother’s or of the two realms. Perhaps this was just a human thing she had long forgotten about. Still, the dark haired woman paced.

She checked on the stew bubbling over the oven. The earlier potion she had brewed was cooling in a jar. It would be ready soon and then she’d have to see if Pippa would wake. She hoped the witch would. While Hecate waited, her mind explored the various options as to what her mother could be up to. It was no secret the now Queen of the Fae wanted to reform Pandora’s Cube but that feat was impossible without Hecate’s help. She ensured Pandora’s Cube would never be reformed unless she permitted it.

Gently she rested her hand against Pippa’s forehead but there was no sign of a fever and her pulse was strong and steady against her fingertips when she found the other’s pulse on her neck. It looked to be mere magical exhaustion. Something of which Hecate was glad. It would be a while before the witch woke, giving Hecate the chance to risk something.

Walking toward a small chest on the shelf, Hecate carefully opened it and removed the seven shards of glass. She held them in her hand and with magic they began rising, floating out across from her and forming into a mirror. Her fingertip pressed against the smooth surface causing a ripple to spread across. It took but a moment for the observatory to come into view. She glanced briefly at Pippa who remained unmoving then stepped through the mirror.

****

Pippa woke to find herself warm, very warm. Slowly she stretched, feeling better than she had felt the previous few days, and opened her eyes. There was a gently fire going and when she looked around she noticed any traces of the rain and thunder were gone. The dark ceiling flickered from the fire below and as she looked around some more she found they were in a rather well lived in cave. 

Sitting up, she felt the fur blanket fall from her torso and absently ran her fingers over its softness until her hand brushed against a golden chain. The pendant watch was draped around her and as she cradled it in her hands, her thumb traced the elegant design. Pippa had seen enough of it to recognize it as belonging to Hecate but why was it with her? She moved to pull the chain off when a voice spoke.

“Keep it on.”

Pippa looked up and found Hecate turning away from the shelf at the far end of the cave. “It’ll stop these realms from stealing your magic.”

“But it was your mother’s. Shouldn’t-”

“It doesn’t matter now,” said Hecate. She walked away from the shelf, raising her hand to allow the floating potion to sink against her palm, and stop in front of the witch. “Drink this. It’ll fortify your body while you’re here.”

Pippa observed the swirling bright blue liquid inside the glass before grasping it. It smelled surprisingly sweet and when she drank it there was an interesting after taste she recognized. “Sugared blueberries and honey?”

“It masks the real taste. Plus you have a sweet tooth,” shrugged Hecate before banishing the empty jar.

Pippa smiled at the words. “Where are we?”

“Still in the Otherworld. You passed out,” said Hecate, “The realms were draining your magic and since you’ve never been here before, it was only a matter of time. I apologize, I should have seen it coming and done something the moment you arrived.”

“You were caught off guard,” said Pippa, “We both were. You couldn’t have known.”

“It’s all the more reason to return you home. I can’t risk further harm coming to you.” 

“Hecate…”

“No, I refuse to let you become trapped here with me.”

“You make it sound like the end of the world,” frowned the blonde witch.

“It would be.” Hecate sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Are you hungry? I have stew.”

“If I say yes, will you finally explain what’s going on?”

The two sat opposite each other by the fire, a wooden bowl filled with the hearty and rather pleasant stew in their hands, while silence filled the cave. At first Pippa thought her ghost wasn’t going to say anything, that she merely agreed in order to get her to eat and she did have to admit the stew was quite delicious.

“My mother’s trying to reform Pandora’s Cube,” Hecate spoke softly. Her gaze trained on the flickering flames, hunger was the furthest thing from her mind as her spoon absently stirred the stew.

“Why?”

“Because I destroyed it.” Hecate set the bowl aside. It wasn’t going to be eaten anyway. “She was lost after my father… left. Perhaps that’s too kind of a way. The cube took his life and it would have expanded across the globe but there were Runics among the fae who stopped it. It cost them their lives.”

“She never recovered, my mother. I believe the death of my father was too much in her heart, too much of a burden, and what he did to her son and daughter, well,” Hecate took a deep breath, “Many among the fae were surprised it didn’t bring her into madness. The fae were always against human emotions. Thinking it was an infection among their people.”

“But they let you stay,” said Pippa.

“Yes,” agreed the dark haired woman, “But I think it was mostly because of the cube.”

“What exactly is this cube?”

“It’s the essence of reality neatly stored in a little box. No one knows its true origins or how it came to be in a cube but it was safe guarded by the fae people since long after its presence revealed itself to the world. It’s also partly why the fae went to war with the magical community.”

“When you say the essence of reality…” Pippa’s voice trailed off, not quite wanting to voice what she feared to be the truth.

Hecate, however, nodded, “Yes, it’s exactly that. All of reality, time, and space rolled up into one. Control it and you can rebuild the world in any image you want.”

Hecate went on to explain the slow creeping madness of her mother’s heart. The voices, the whispering, the sheer idea of the cube being able to bring back her dead husband and children. It was when Hecate was reaching adulthood that her mother set her plan into motion. She slowly moved along the fae council, offering them guidance, direction, purpose, another view but Hecate knew all that came from the countless hours her mother spent at night in the cube’s presence.

Those fae tasked with guarding Pandora’s Cube were long since already on her mother’s side and slowly her madness was spreading across the rest of the fae world. It force Hecate’s hand and she ran. It would take years but Hecate had managed to steal a small fraction of the cube’s power. She didn’t know how or why she was able to but surmised it to be from the attempted sacrifice her father went through towards the end of his life. The sacrifice she managed to survive, thanks to the cube.

With the stolen bit of the cube, Hecate returned to the mortal coil where she started destroying the portals. It took years to discover each and every fae portal but the last one was at the lighthouse. Of course in between she learned more about the humans of the world, explored the curious emotions, delved deep into their magic, came more into herself and the powerful magic she possessed. 

It was while she was attempting to destroy the last portal that her mother caught up to her with an army of brainwashed fae at her side. The two of them fought and it was during that fight that Hecate realized the true extent of her mother’s madness. She was willing to sacrifice her last kin to open the cube and bring back her family in the way she wanted them. Then she planned to go on to erasing the mortal world.

Hecate used all her magic into opening Pandora’s Cube and there was a dangerous beauty inside. It was hypnotic, inviting but she didn’t give in instead she absorbed the essence of realm and ripped it apart. It cost her her life but it sealed her mother and her army into the fae realm and erased all knowledge of Pandora’s Cube. Of course it also fractured her soul and Hecate found herself drifting in what was left of the essence. It would take centuries until she was finally able to cross into the Otherworld and by then she realized the essence was eating away at the two realms. Perhaps it was better that way. The destruction of the fae realm and the Otherworld in order to keep the mortal coil alive and prospering.

“It was not a decision I made lightly,” whispered Hecate. “Either choice would condemn innocent lives to death.” She cleared her throat and rose to her feet. “It’s all the more reason to get you back home.” She turned to return to her books, surely she must have a note or two somewhere in the pages about this exact kind of situation, but she was stopped by the warm hand wrapping around her wrist. Hecate stared at Pippa’s hand against her skin.

“You don’t have to carry this burden alone. Not anymore.” Pippa gently tugged so that Hecate was facing her. Her grip loosened until she intertwined their fingers. 

Hecate shook her head, “Don’t. Don’t offer me this kindness. Not when I don’t deserve it.”

“You deserve this and so much more,” countered Pippa, “You’ve been fighting your entire life. Don’t you think you need some rest?”

“That’ll come when these realms are gone.”

“You can’t mean that.” Pippa swallowed the heaviness in her throat. “You can’t just accept your death like this.”

“I’m already dead, Pippa.”

“No,” Pippa shook her head, “I refuse to believe that.” She took a step closer and rested her hand above Hecate’s heart. She found the organ beating soundly underneath her fingers. “I refuse to believe that as long as your heart is still beating.”

“It’s an illusion. A joke done by the Otherworld.”

“Or it’s a second chance.”

“No,” said Hecate, stepping back, “I don’t deserve a second chance.”

“Hecate…”

“No, I see you and you can’t. Why aren’t you running from here? Why aren’t you demanding that I take you back home? Why?”

The pain in those impossible dark eyes threatened to break Pippa’s heart but again she stepped closer. She had listened to the whole story, the swell of emotion, the hurt, the betrayal, all of it with great intent and it only confirmed what she already knew. Hecate never had the chance to live a life instead she was forced into a role in order to protect that which was around her, the goodness she wanted to keep existing on this planet. She placed the needs of a whole planet above her own and even now refused to change her stance. 

“Don’t say because I deserve more,” said Hecate, preventing the blonde witch from explaining. “I have more blood on my hands than I should and each death taking place in the fae realm adds to my guilt.” She turned away from the blonde and returned to her notes, hoping against all odds an answer would be present to get Pippa back home. 

****

“Your excellence,” bowed a fae so low the tip of his nose almost touched the ground, “We’re nearing completion.”

Margery Hardbroom walked past the fae and deeper into the sleek room. The silver metal lining the walls helped focus in on the center part and there was her glory. Well, her soon to be glory. Pandora’s Cube carefully being reconstructed, piece by piece and when she had the cage she would tear down the gates leading into the Otherworld and find her daughter.

“It will only be another day or two,” stated the fae, “With these notes you’ve brought us, progress has increased drastically.”

“It is my daughter you should be thanking,” said Margery, noting the book written in her daughter’s hand. The very book she had refused Pippa to read, the very book that held all of Hecate’s too accurate observations, experiments, and results in regards to the cube. 

“What do you have planned for her, your excellence?” the fae dared ask. But Margery was in a good mood. Her strength restored after her little trek into the mortal realm and now that she had another one of her tests succeed by tapping into the weak fibers of the essence that exists between the realms, well she could answer that question.

“She will return to my side and learn her place,” said Margery. “My family will usher in a new era of magic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ariel, do you have a tumblr? If so, I'm going to make one then we can chat more about this cause I'm super excited  
> The more I post of this, the more nervous I become, not sure if my readers are going to like it or not but I'm taking the risk. So hopefully it'll all going to come together in a great and fantastic way that all of you will enjoy.  
> I'll see you in the next one  
> Stay stunning, my readers, also hydrate because summer is coming


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a tumblr if anyone is interested, my name is CaptainTangledMess but I haven't posted anything on it and just hope I won't forget about having it, heh

Pippa tried talking to the other woman but she found she didn’t know what to say. The reassurances she had and wanted to offer would be brushed aside, the possibility of them returning together felt like it was slowly swirling down the drain, and the fact she now knew most of what happened with Pandora’s Cube still made her feel like an outsider, like there was something staring her in the face that she was missing. She couldn’t place it and that was beginning to frustrate her. Huffing out a breath, Pippa held out her hand. Her magic coming alive, summoning forth a beautiful red rose, and she simply traced the soft petals. 

Looking up she observed the tension in Hecate’s shoulders, the rigid back, the way her long fingers traced the ink, running along the pages. She wondered if the other ever had the time to relax, breath, and simply exist in the moment but given what Hecate told of her past, it didn’t come as much of an option. Even now there was always something to be done and Pippa understood that. Truly she did. 

“Do you remember when we worked on my school proposal and I was so worried about going against the grain, against the standing tradition, against everything the magical community stood for. Do you remember what you told me that very first time?”

Hecate had paused in her search. She looked over her shoulder, slowly meeting the witch’s gaze. She remembered the conversation they had. She remembered it well. “Only the bold who take risks will find favor in fortune’s eyes and change the world,” she said, “My grandmother’s words.” And that was when Hecate’s eyes widened, she waved her books aside and summoned the mirror, watching the observatory come back into view. “My mother has the book.”

“What?”

“The book she suggested you to read, the book that caught fire before you could read more of it. My book, she has it.”

“Is that bad?” Pippa was confused at the sudden realization coming from her ghost and at the loss of where she was ideally planning to bring the conversation.

“No,” Hecate shook her head, “It’s just what we need. Now she thinks she’ll reform Pandora’s Cube. My notes explain all of it but she doesn’t realize what she’s actually creating.” She took a deep breath, “Right, I can get you back.”

“No, I’m not going.”

“Pippa.”

“No, this is my choice. I’m going to help you end this once and for all.”

“This isn’t your fight.”

“It’s not yours either.” Pippa paused, Hecate looked to say something but closed her mouth and frowned, and then Pippa nodded, “Okay, that’s not exactly true.”

“Hmm,” hummed Hecate, “Too dramatic.”

“You’re making it dramatic.”

“What? No, I’m not.”

“Oh, you’re not? ‘Pippa, you have to go home. You can’t be here.’” She threw her arms up as she said the words in a mock voice.

Hecate scoffed, “I do not sound like that.”

“All this time,” started Pippa, shaking her head, “All this time we’ve been arguing over nothing.”

“Your life is hardly nothing,” countered Hecate.

“The point is we’ve done nothing but argue because you’re deciding what’s best for me.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt. Is that so wrong of me to want, to get you back home until all this is over?”

“And then what?”

Hecate didn’t have an answer for that. Her primary concern was getting Pippa out of the danger of the Otherworld, as far away from the fae realm and her mother as possible, and not have her anywhere near the remnants of Pandora’s Cube. It was always to protect the witch so that she could return her and fulfill her dream of opening up that school, considering how she got the approval. Lost in thought, Hecate never noticed Pippa drawing closer to her until they were mere feet apart.

“Hecate,” the blonde witch said softly, “if it were me, would you be able to leave me behind?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she rolled her eyes at the mere prospect of the roles being reversed.

“Even if I demanded it like you are.”

Hecate clenched her jaw, meeting the witch’s eyes, the answer already present between them. “No, I’d stay.”

“Then how can you expect me to do the same?” Pippa stepped closer, pressing two fingers against her ghost’s lips when Hecate went to say something. Slowly she shook her head, “I love you. I fell in love with you when you were just the ghost in my cottage and I fell more in love with you after you told me everything. You can’t just believe I’d run away from you.” Her fingers moved along her ghost’s cheek and gently cupped her face. “You’re stuck with me. Whether you like it or not.” 

“Pippa, I-” 

But Hecate’s words were cut off by the sudden rumbling surrounding the entire cave and the devastating crack ushering forth from above. They looked up to discover the rocks peeling away, crumbling around them, and simply being thrown aside. At first there was nothing but the blinding light, the brightness from the outside and the few droplets of rain. Then the howling wind silenced the fire and what appeared to be a serpent slithered through the clouds above. 

“We have to go,” said Hecate. Her arms wrapped around Pippa’s waist, pulled her closer, and the two disappeared in a sudden swirl of dark tendrils and powerful magic just as the serpent’s head launched itself from the clouds and came crashing into the cave.

****

“We have located them, your excellency,” stated a fae dressed in the formal attire of long white overcoat and midnight blue pants. 

Margery Hardbroom turned from the altar she had been praying at and slowly rose to her feet. The long billowing of her dark dress came from an invisible wind. She did not turn around. The news, while welcome, was not pleasant. It was too soon, too fast, too abrupt. Almost as if her dear daughter was expecting such a discovery. “Tread carefully,” she told the servant.

The fae did a double take. “But your excellency, we have her in sight. It is only a matter of-” the rest of his words turned into a terrible shriek as Margery set the fae on fire.

Stepping over the pile of ashes, her dress billowed out as she walked away from her altar. “Draw back, my pet,” she commanded as she observed the stormy skies of the Otherworld in the floating sphere. “She must come to me willingly. Follow her, follow each trail she leaves, but heed her traps.”

The serpent in the Otherworld hissed, its long purple tongue striking against the thick clouds, and it gave the faint curling nod before slithering away, invisible as its body melded with the sky. The floating sphere silenced itself, revealing the reflective mirror, and Margery Hardbroom touched the slight streak on her cheekbone. The dark spider veins were becoming more prominent and she realized the hourglass was losing its precious sand. Dropping her hand, she turned to the assembled fae dressed in ranger outfits of worn leather and dark leaves.

“Bring me the witch. Alive and unharmed,” she commanded, “Only then will my daughter come to me willing. My pet will guide you.” She flicked her wrist, bringing forth small black vials tied to leather cords. “Your pass into the Otherworld. I will not tolerate failure.”

The ranger faes nodded, bowed in unity as they each took a vial. When their queen dismissed them, they hurried from the room.

Margery sank into the throne chair, feeling exhausted with heavy limbs. A weary sigh left her lips. The years were wearing on her. She had expected Hecate to understand, to want the same thing, to be there, to stand united as they brought back their family and wronged those who took it all away. It shouldn’t have been a surprise though. No, it was very obvious from the start. Hecate held too much good in her heart. On that part she was too much like her father and that was something she dearly loved about her.

Still it didn’t matter. She required what Hecate had and was willing to further their divides in order to restore everything. The witch was the key. That much Margery knew for certain. It was only a matter of time before her daughter picked up a weakness, an attachment to the world they both left behind and how fitting that it would come in the form of a young, beautiful, blonde witch. 

She waved her hand, bringing up an image of her beautiful daughter and simply stared at it. Lost in thought, funny how life always turned in another direction when it was least expected. “Forgive me for the pain I’m about to bring you, my sweet Hecate, but you leave me with no choice,” she told the image, half expecting it to answer her back but when it didn’t, she took a deep breath. “You’ll understand my sacrifices one day.” Curling her fingers into a fist, the image vanished and Margery was left in utter silence in the cold, dark throne room she never much cared for. 

****

“Hecate, what was that?”

“My mother’s pet.”

“A giant snake is not a pet!”

Hecate smiled, “Would you prefer a tiny owl?” A moment later she turned her gaze back to the destroyed mountain. It was a shame because that had been one of her more liked locations yet it wasn’t unexpected. Her mother was bound to find her now that she was reforging the cube. Hecate had other locates left. Problem was decided which one would be safest for Pippa. She didn’t have much time as the serpent reared its head in their direction.

The wind picked up and thunder cleaved the sky. She felt Pippa jump beside her from the sudden onslaught and Hecate pulled her closer. “Hang on,” she whispered before summoned another transference.

The transferences were all over the place. One time she glimpsed the yellow rolling hills, the next she was on another set of snow capped mountains, then they reappeared by a riverbank but its unsteady ground and crumbling other side forced Hecate to beckon forth another transference. It was becoming too much; the swirling in and out of physicality, the brief glimpses, the fresh air then the fleeting world. Pippa’s head spun and when they came out of another transference, she had to rip herself away from the other. Falling to her knees, she braced herself on the solid ground, digging her fingers into the soft, wet soil.

Hecate’s hand was on her shoulder, gently rubbing, reassuring her and apologizing. While Pippa wanted to shake her head and state it was alright, she understood why Hecate was doing it, she just couldn’t bring words to the forefront. 

“Could we walk for a bit?” she asked when her head and stomach finally settled, no longer feeling like she was at sea during the height of a storm.

“Of course,” Hecate helped the witch to her feet, “That was careless of me. I’ve become too used to transferring everywhere that I hardly took into account your feelings on the matter.”

“It’s fine,” said Pippa, “I know you’re trying to shake off that thing but slow down a bit.”

Hecate nodded, taking in their surroundings and realized this was a deeper part of the Otherworld not yet touched by the destruction. The luscious yellow vegetation and the tall blue trees greeted them, almost oblivious to the looming threat. Occasionally, as they walked, a thick red bundle would pop out of the grass. The flower once held a purpose but given its closed state and the heavy redness that neared a black, its magic was already dying. Even the leaves of the blue trees were darkened, no longer their beautiful color and all at once the sorrow returned to Hecate’s heart. This was her doing. 

“May I?” she held up her hand, magic already brimming beneath her skin, “A last transference.”

Pippa nodded, steeling herself as the heavy powerful magic washed over her and the world blinked out of existence. When light filtered back in and clarity formed their surroundings, she couldn’t stop the gasp from leaving her lips. Ruins as far as the eye could see littered the ground. Mighty buildings once stood here, housing the lives of the Otherworld, and she could just make out the remnants of statues in the form of something similar to humans. 

“The Aeaean Isles,” said Hecate softly, “Principle location of the souls belonging to the Otherworld.”

“What happened here?” Pippa examined the broken runes etched into the hard stone. She noticed the scorch marks and the other elemental damages inflicted upon the place. “Was it a storm?”

“Of a sort,” said Hecate. She breathed in the air, closing her eyes at the surfacing memories. “This was where I fought my mother for the first time. We were not kind to one another or our surroundings.”

Pippa could scarcely believe the elemental damage adorning the ruins, the piles of dust untouched by the rains or moved by the winds. It was almost as though time stood still here. There was a heaviness in the air when she rose to her feet, brushing the faint pebbles and dirt from her fingertips. “How?”

“Our magic is tempestuous at best.” Hecate gave a sad smile. “We’ll make camp on the outskirts. There is a haven not far from here. Provided my mother hasn’t looked there yet.”

As they walked through the ruins, Pippa realized it was like walking through an otherworldly graveyard. The destruction stretched on and on. She felt a shiver go through her body when they crossed a broken bridge. Few rocks tumbling from their passing into the hearty dust piles beneath. She had never seen such a display of magic before and could hardly even picture it in her mind. There were duels back home, invoking the right at the loser to relinquish their magic, but those felt relatively tame compared to what she was seeing here.

Her mind was tracing every mark, latching onto every piece of destruction and part of the ruins that she could see, lost in thought so much that she hadn’t realized Hecate standing at the edges of the once city. 

“Hecate?”

“Do you still wish to stay?”

She heard the quietness of the question like revealing this part of the past wasn’t the right thing to do, that it was scaring her away, and Pippa supposed part of her was scared. Not of Hecate, never of her ghost, but of what the magic of a fae and witch union could do. It was no secret both Hecate and her mother shared fae blood and learned the magic of her world but to combine the two and then wage a war against one another. It was nothing short of awe inspiring, both in fright and in wonder at the true extent of magic. 

“Yes,” said Pippa. Her feelings of her ghost had not changed not even with the heavy destruction or the almost unlimited power the two held. It made her realize there was much, much more to magic than her world knew. And that was something that needed to change. If they stayed with their traditions, then they’d never know the true extent of what was possible. They would never be prepared for attacks from another war. She prayed though another war would never happen. 

Hecate held out her hand and when the blonde witch took it, they stepped through the fog together and right into the trap laid by her mother. 

****

Hecate realized the trap a second too late when the fog began dispersing and in that time golden ropes had already wrapped around her arms. She was about to summon her magic when a pulse threw her senses off course. She willed her body not to drop to the ground, her magic flaring beneath her skin, and suddenly she gave a powerful yank at the golden ropes wrapped around her right arm. She saw the ranger fae flutter into visibility before the fog claimed him but it was enough as she sent out a powerful elemental strike.

The impact loosened the ropes from her arm and she succeeded in pushing Pippa from the foggy depths back to the ruins. The witch watched helplessly as the fog was illuminated with various flashes of color. The ground rumbled beneath her feet, forcing her to take several steps away from the fog. 

“Hecate!”

But her ghost couldn’t hear her. A dreaded rumbling echoed through the fog and Pippa had just enough time to side step as the smoking body of a ranger fae came hurling out of the thickness. It was then she noticed the other two fae rangers stalking towards her, ropes held in their hands. 

Pippa frowned, summoning her magic, the pink energy hovering between her palms as she readied her spell.

A golden rope shot out from the fog, dangerously close to her shoulder as it wrapped around one of the ranger’s neck and pull him into the fog. Less than a few seconds later, Hecate stepped out from the fog, the golden ropes melting from her limbs, her eyes glowing a dangerous yellow as she stared at the ranger. 

The fae disappeared in a swirl of dark purple tendrils without uttering a word. The ropes dissolved until nothing remained and Hecate wasted no time in reaching into the fog. Magic still pouring off of her and silently she reached out for Pippa. The blonde witch melted into her embrace and the two vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it was a bit of a short update but next update should be longer  
> You guys are awesome, truly and honestly, awesome  
> I'll see you in the next one  
> Stay strong as you know you are


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit this story comes from the interest of a lot things that I've read ranging from folklore to myths and legends to comics and everything. So it's a bit of meshing but I find it's working well even though each chapter I get nervous because I had only wanted this to be a romance story, haha but from the film The Ghost and Mrs Muir that inspired this, I knew I wasn't going to go the same route of the ghost disappearing and coming back when Mrs Muir dies. Because this is a magical story and I feel all this will come together nicely. That being said, on to the chapter!

Hecate collapsed as the sky began turning a dreary and bruised purple. Her magic fading back, her anger silenced for the time being, and they were safe at the clearing high above the remaining outcrop of the Otherworld. She felt the witch’s hands on her shoulder and wrapped around her back, holding her steady as she knelt beside her. 

“You’re dying,” whispered Pippa.

“Yes,” Hecate said after a long minute passed where she caught her breath. “I’m not whole. I haven’t been since I ripped apart the cube and the more these realms tear away, the more I crumble.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wouldn’t have mattered. I probably would have continued haunting your cottage until you died,” she gave a sad smile, “But with my mother’s plans, things are accelerating. I won’t be your ghost for much longer.”

Pippa shook her head, “You’ll always be my ghost.”

Hecate said nothing as she rose to her feet, swaying ever so slightly and hating the sign of weakness but she allowed the witch to support her as they moved through the clearing. Life had existed here once. Long before the cube was opened and its essence forced upon both realms. Silver pinwheel flower greeted them, spinning in the wind, but most remained still. The red grass surrounding the silver flowers was a dark color, almost as if it had been touched by blood but there hadn’t been a fight here. This little spot was peaceful and Hecate had found herself coming here offer simply to be. 

“The rangers will be back,” said Hecate. A shimmer portal appeared further in the clearing and when Hecate touched it with her fingertips the other side revealed the entrance to a small cavern system. “Are you claustrophobic?”

“No,” Pippa raised her hand, summoning forth an orb of light and offered it to the dark haired woman. “Lead the way.” 

Pippa’s magic felt warm, like the early sun kissed dawn she remembered from the times she walked through the mortal world. It took her back but Hecate kept the memories at bay as she stepped through the shimmer gateway and nudged the glowing orb into the air. It hovered above the two for a moment then began illuminating their trek. 

The cavern system was dark, somewhere water dripped, echoing its sound from the depth but the ground beneath them held crudely carved out stairs. There were times when fragments of rock tumbled free from their steps and the sound would echo on for miles and miles. Hecate explained the cavern system was once used to ferry the souls from one end to the other, souls of those who were no longer sound of mind and spirit but they were amongst the first to be devoured by the essence of reality. Little resistance came from those souls and since then these systems stood empty.

They would not be camping here and Pippa was glad for that. No, Hecate explained it was a connection to another part where she felt certain her mother hadn’t checked before. A place where Hecate herself hadn’t been in many, many years for reasons she didn’t wish to share and Pippa didn’t press the matter. 

The blonde witch, however, felt as though they were being watched or followed or both. Constantly she kept looking over her shoulder, once bumping into Hecate, and quickly apologized. She thought she saw something move in the shadowy depths but couldn’t be certain. It made her walk fast, linking her hand with Hecate’s in a form of safety.

Their steady descent soon came to a halt at a large underground lake. Fog steamed from the liquid, covering it then becoming transparent. There were little lights littered beneath the water and when Pippa went for a closer look, Hecate quickly pulled her away.

“The Lake of Morguren,” said Hecate, “Its light draw you in before it sucks the soul from your body. Painful way to go but useful against pests.”

Pippa opened her mouth to question how she would know then decided some things were better left a secret. While she knew Hecate had faced far greater things in both life and death, there was perhaps a memory or several which wished to stay buried. 

They stayed by the lake for an hour, resting. There was a silence in the cavern system that was neither uncomfortable nor relaxing, it simply felt like a brief pause where one could catch their breath then move forward. And when Hecate got to her feet again, Pippa followed her, half afraid the dark haired woman might collapse again but nothing of the sort happened. 

Their trek took them around the lake where Pippa noticed the lights had gone out. Perhaps whatever was living inside the lake deemed them as unsatisfying or not worth their time. Something which was grateful for because it gave her a chance to drop her guard a little. It wouldn’t be long until the lake turned somewhat normal. The strange liquid turning a bright captivating silver and they had just reached the bridge when a loud splash echoed behind them.

Pippa looked at her ghost who in turn was looking behind them at whatever just came through the lake. She had a feeling she knew what it was from the sound of water cascading downward but she dared not turn around. Her breath hitched ever so slightly when Hecate stepped closer. Her heart raced because she knew this was going to lead to a separation even though she was against such a tactic.

“Don’t turn around,” said Hecate. “Look over my shoulder. Across the bridge, do you see the glint of light? It’s small, almost like a golden star. Do you see it?”

Pippa nodded.

“Good. I want you to go there. It should bring you to the Forest of Listerfell. It’s not much of a forest nowadays but Keres will be waiting for you. Midnight blue fur, golden eyes, a wolf sort. She will take you where you be safe.”

“What-” Pippa moved to look over her shoulder but her ghost stopped her, gently grasping her chin and keeping their eyes locked.

“Do not look behind you.”

“What about you?”

“I will join you as soon as I can.” Hecate leaned forward and brushed her lips against the witch’s forehead, “I promise. Now go. Don’t look back.”

Pippa did as she was told. There were times when certain sounds tempted her to look over her shoulder: the sloshing of water, the crumbling of rock, the sudden trembling that caused the stone bridge to shake beneath her feet. She heard the flares of magic, knew they were coming from Hecate and whatever creature she was fighting. It was most like the serpent but she hadn’t seen much of the serpent the first time around almost as though her ghost wanted to spare her the sight of the creature. She knew it was massive. Massive and a pale sickly white. She didn’t know what that meant. She should have asked.

The glint of golden light was a foot from her. She felt a soft wind coming from it and cautiously held up her hand and that was when she heard Hecate cry out in pain. She shouldn’t have looked. She realized that later but when she heard that muffled sound of pain and turned around watching the rock slide bury her beloved, she didn’t think about the warning and when she saw herself staring at that monstrosity. 

The serpent was massive. Its scales half rotten, half turned to stone. A shaggy fading yellow beard clung to its lower jaw and its eyes were a shocking forest green. It was when she locked eyes with the serpent that Pippa realized when her ghost told her not to turn around. This thing was an extension of her mother.

Somehow, she didn’t think it possible, the serpent grinned a terrible smile. Hundreds of sharp teeth lined its mouth and Pippa stole a glance at the rock heap under which Hecate was buried. Smaller rocks were beginning to vibrate on the ground while some were floating in the air.

Oh she shouldn’t have turned around. 

Pippa looked back at the creature. It reared its body higher and back, readying for a lunge and Pippa quickly stepped backwards, allowing the portal to consume her.

When the world faded back into clarity, Pippa found herself not in the forest but on a cold metal floor. Before she could act, silver ropes slithered out, wrapping around her wrists and from the shadows stepped Margery Hardbroom.

“How good of you to join us.” The queen grinned that same terrible smile of her serpent and Pippa’s heart was seized by fear.

****

Rocks were blown to smithereens by the powerful magic coursing through the buried witch and Hecate glanced up just in time to see Pippa fall through the portal but it was no longer the one of the forest. Gritting her teeth, she looked at the serpent seeing its pleased grin before it moved to dive beneath the lake. Golden ropes appeared in her hands and as she stepped forward, she threw them out. The ends wasted no time in hooking into the stone scales.

While she had enough magic to keep the serpent from diving lower, it would serve no purpose instead Hecate allowed herself to be pulled into the depths of the lake. The biting magic of the Otherworld attacked her but she paid it no heed as she drew closer to the serpent and allowed it to steer the path.

At some point the world had turned back.

When Hecate came to, a grey sky greeted her and beneath her she felt pebbles digging into her. Banishing the golden ropes, the serpent long gone, she looked around and noted the fae realm surrounding her. The air was bitter and stale. Strangely death was not as present but she suspected her mother’s magic was behind the matter. As she got to her feet she sensed the familiar presences circling her.

An annoyed sigh left her lips and without warning she spun round. As she did so a whip of magic lashed out, snapping around one of the ranger’s necks and breaking bone. With the flick of her wrist the dead ranger flew towards her where she pulled the dark vial from his body. Of course, her mother would be using such magic to keep her rangers alive. 

Crushing the vial in her hands, the dark liquid oozed from between her closed fingers and the body of the ranger dropped to the ground. The other fae stared at the body for a long minute then looked at one another before deciding a united attack would serve them better than one at a time. Or so they thought.

A united attack only served to provoke the dark haired woman further. Magic flared to life in her hands and as she raised them, spikes flew from the ground. The spikes managed to pierce one of the rangers, killing the fae instantly and crushing the vial hanging around its chest. Another was injured, broken shoulder, but the fae kept running toward the witch with its arm dangling behind it.

Hecate side stepped the swiping blow from the sword and summoned forth her own through magic. Metal clashed against metal, sparks flew as the ranger struggled to hammer at her defenses. The fae did not prevail as Hecate allowed an attack to bring her sword to the ground and she transferred away. When she reappeared a small distance away, the ranger had enough time to turn around. It prepared for an attack when blood gushed from its midsection and collapsed on the ground.

She burned the vial in her hand and surveyed the area for the other two. It seemed the rangers were also cowards as their presence could no longer be sensed in the area. Hecate shook her head, banishing the sword and walked away from the shore. She journeyed through the grassy hillside, stopping every few minutes at the odd sound of a snapping branch or so. She knew the rangers were stalking her, distracting her, bidding their time before they struck and it only served to further her annoyance. 

It was probably told by her mother should Hecate ever step foot in the fae realm that they should do everything in their power to slow her progress. But why? The reforging of the cube was one thing and her mother couldn’t do much to force her hand. Now all Hecate had to do was find Pippa and get her to safety. It wasn’t like-

Her eyes widened. “No…” came the whispered breathless word. Her mother wouldn’t. Except now she wasn’t all that certain, if her mother did go forth with the very thing Hecate was beginning to assume then she was at the ends of her tether. 

She couldn’t give the idea more thought as a glint of silver reflected in the corner of her eye and she just had enough time to transfer away as a sharp blade sunk through the air. The ranger was faster than expected as it appeared in the very spot she was coming out of her transference and thrust forward its blade. The witch was faster as she pressed her palms against the blade and with a twist dislodged the weapon. Her magic dissolved the metal to a dripping pool and as she wiped the residue from her hands, the liquid metal floated into the air.

Small silver balls weaved on the spot, moving back and forth as though each sphere held its own current. The fae stepped back and was about to shimmer into its surroundings but Hecate’s magic was faster. Silver shot forward, forming long thin blades and sliced through the fae. She walked over to the bend backwards body as the silver spikes kept it from falling and pulled the vial from its neck.

It too went up in a volley of flames.

“And then there was one,” she said, impossibly dark eyes peering around, searching for the ranger, seeing nothing. “Tell me, ranger, what were your orders in regards to the witch?”

At first silence greeted her and it half made her believe the ranger had scurried away but then the hissing, low voice of the fae greeted her in the foreign tongue she had long since not spoken.

Hecate took in the words. It was as much as she had suspected. The witch was to be unharmed. Before she could ask her next question, the ranger hissed out a phrase that confirmed it and when the guttural laughter echoed through the glade, Hecate wasted no time in using her magic to crush the fae. The exploding vial signaled the final nail in the coffin. 

She transferred away and when she reappeared in the ruins of what was once the great thriving city of the fae realm, Hecate fell to her knees, coughing. She spat the blood from her mouth as her lungs ached. Perhaps she shouldn’t have transferred over such a great distance but time was no longer on her side.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she ignored the black stars exploding across her vision and stumbled to her feet. One trembling step after the other, she moved her way through the ruins and closer to the looming flower bloom bud like building in the center of the ruins.

She didn’t make it far as the remnants of her mother’s army surrounding her. Spears drawn, all pointed at her and while she clutched her side where her lungs hurt the most, Hecate bit down the pain and rose to her full height. She would take them all on if it meant she’d get to Pippa faster and stop her mother from fulfilling the ridiculous notion in her head.

However, in front of her, the soldiers parted to allow the Queen of the Fae to strive towards her. Margery Hardbroom gave her daughter a welcoming smile and held her arms open. She dropped them when she realized her daughter wouldn’t be greeting her in familiar terms and sighed. “You don’t look so good, Hecate.”

“Where’s Pippa?”

“Safe,” said Margery. “Not to worry, your precious little human is fine.”

Hecate snorted, “Spare me the lies, mother. I know all about the Witching Hour. You cannot summon it.”

“Aww,” Margery’s smile widened and that was when the ground rumbled. From the flower bud building in the center of the ruins came a beam of pale pink light. It formed a column and shot straight up, parting clouds, and drawing in what fluttered about as the essence of reality. “The Witching Hour has already begun, my sweet darling Hecate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More interesting things are to come which is great. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story and I'm kind of getting nervous as the end draws closer. Only a few more chapters left then this journey closes.  
> Stay wonderful, my lovely readers  
> I'll see you all in the next one  
> Four more to go


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With luck, I should be able to finish this story by the end of next week which is super exciting for me. I just hope nothing serious happens between then that will hinder this because I know how it'll end and that is really cool.   
> Anyway onto the chapter!

Hecate stared in horror and disbelief at the pale pink column piercing the sky and sucking in the devouring essence she had unleashed in every direction. She tried to say something but her body felt weak. Pain coursed through her, her head began throbbing, and she felt as though her heart was attempting to rip itself free from her chest. Falling to her knees, clutching at her head, Hecate struggled to keep her vision clear. Vaguely she could make out her mother stepping closer.

Margery placed a gentle hand on the back of her daughter’s head. “Shh, shh, my darling child,” she said softly, “It’ll be over soon. Rest now.”

Hecate tried to fight the dark inviting lull she felt coaxing at her. She couldn’t go under. Not now. Not when Pippa needed her. Not during the witching hour. But she didn’t have much of a choice. The pressure and the pain was too much and she found herself collapsing into the loving embrace of her mother’s arms.

The fae soldiers moved closer but Margery snapped her fingers beckoning them back with a harsh, powerful reminder of her magic. The army shivered in fear from the utter power and slink a few steps back, lowering their spears. 

The Queen of the Fae picked up her daughter and with her head held high carried her flesh and blood to the lone building still standing. The soldiers waited until she passed all of them then fell into step behind her just as the sky split open revealing the stars of the mortal coil.

Inside the building, Margery’s magic whisked her away to the upper floors where the mindless rattle of the fae wouldn’t reach their ears. She gently set her daughter down on the bed, brushing out the long dark locks, before touching her forehead. There were no signs of a fever which was good considering the essence that was being extracted from her daughter. She supposed there might be a chance on making Hecate whole again but she couldn’t be certain of that until she held Pandora’s Cube with the essence of reality inside it in her hands. 

Pulling a handkerchief from her sleeve, she dipped it into the water basin she summoned and wiped the blood from her daughter’s lips. It pained her to see such a sight. It pained her further at the divided past they had, the fights, the arguments, all of it that tore them further and further apart. “Well,” Margery whispered banishing the handkerchief and the basin, “soon we’ll be a family again, dear one.” She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her daughter’s forehead before she rose and left the room.

She rested her hand on the intricate closed door and bowed her head, her heart weighing heavy in her chest. She didn’t want to bring further pain to her daughter’s already broken heart but this wasn’t her fault. Margery had to do what was necessary in order to restore all that was lost. Unfortunately that meant the newest little interest of her daughter’s eye had to pay the price. 

“She’ll forgive you, my love,” came the loving voice of her husband.

Margery didn’t have to turn around to know her Raigar had appeared. The faded smoky outline of the man she once loved and still loved, the one before the madness struck him down. “I pray you’re right.” She lowered her hand and walked down the long hallway. 

Soft was their discussion, spoken in hushed tones. It was years when Raigar first appeared to her, his spirit free from Pandora’s Cube and at first she was hesitant. The madness that claimed his mind during his time alive had been all too real and she feared it affected his spirit. But no, instead she was face to face with the man she had fallen in love with all those many years ago. His mind, beautiful and sane, realized the madness that had consumed him and it forced no eternal rest upon him. 

Instead it was Raigar who suggested the reforging of the cube. Of course without the books from their study and all the notes, the reforging couldn’t be done properly. Instead he told her to wait, to be patient for their daughter would never lead them astray. True enough it was Hecate who travelled between the realms, who managed to live a life even though she had broken her own soul when she consumed the essence of reality.

It was an interesting turn of events but Raigar had told her he had witnessed the same thing when his madness attempted to sacrifice their youngest child to the cube. There was something unique about Hecate. A triad of power, knowledge, and logic that guided their young one and he was so very proud of her. She, as a child, had managed to overturn the power of the cube and destroy him. It was not something he held against her because it brought him back to his senses but in his death he was sucked into the heart of the cube where he learned and grieved and waited till he could make it back out.

He understood now what he didn’t back then when the madness claimed his mind and what he understood he slowly began feeding to his wife. Pandora’s Cube wasn’t this dangerous all powerful erasure of the world. No, it would solve the world’s problems. It would usher in a utopia for the witching world. It would ignite progress and passion. It would see that the magical world no longer hid in the shadows, was chained down by these false ideals of tradition, and would take its rightful place as superior amongst the world. It would stop the mortals from destroying the land and draining the planet of resources. It would bring about a harmony. But in order to achieve all that, the fae were required.

At first Margery thought the spirit of her husband held some lingering traces of madness behind because what he suggested was required felt like genocide. She refused his calling, cast him away, stated she would not bathe in the blood of the innocent simply to usher in this utopian world. But over time he convinced her. He showed her the truth. He brought her inside of the cube and she realized how very right he was.

And when she set about to bring this utopian world into reality, that was Hecate turned against her. Their youngest child dared claimed that she, Margery Morrigan Hardbroom, was affected by the same madness as her husband and the rest who dared get too close to the cube. It was nonsense. Utter nonsense and it still was.

Now as Margery walked into the throne room, she looked at the blooming throne chair of the fae and held out her hand. Instantly it shattered, the pieces scattered around her, frozen in the air. She flicked her wrist and watched as all the pieces dissolved to dust. She had never liked that chair.

Slowly curling her fingers, she felt the humming magic bristle beneath her skin. The essence of reality was being called back and when Margery walked further into the room where the cube hovered in a golden stasis field, she took in the thin pink line being fed in from the top. 

“Do you feel it coming back?” Raigar touched his wife’s shoulder and although the queen couldn’t feel him she knew his intention. “Soon we’ll part the barriers.”

“And reclaim what is rightfully ours,” finished Margery.

****

She didn’t know how long she was out. Her dreams were a scattered mess and something about them caused her to gasp and sit upright. The throbbing in her head continued as Hecate stumbled out of the bed. Blinking several times to clear her vision and to rid herself of the aftermath images from her dreams, she silently berated herself. How could she not have seen it coming? It was obvious from the get go why her mother would bring a witch across the realms and she was foolish enough to get too close to Pippa that she had not seen it. 

Grasping the side of the table, Hecate’s knuckled turned white and the uncontrollable magic that ushered form shattered the entire piece of furniture. Wiping the dust from her palm, she stood up straight, looking around the room. She knew this place: a construct of the council quarters. And not knowing how much her mother had changed from the original outline, she dared not transfer from the room. 

When she reached the door, she carefully and quietly pushed down the handle. With her back pressed against the wall, she opened it a fraction and peered out of the split. Slowly opening it further, she arched a delicate eyebrow at the fact there were no guards. Careless perhaps? No, she suspected it to be deliberate. Hecate believed that her mother never trusted the fae. Not after what they had done to her upon her return to the fae realm. 

She closed the door behind her and took a steadying breath, ignoring the pain throbbing in her temples, she knew what she had to do. Problem was which direction was it? If Hecate used her magic to locate the blonde witch, her mother would know. There wasn’t any doubt about that for her mother’s magic lined the very walls of this building. The slightest ignition could send this place into lockdown. And that gave Hecate an idea.

She turned left, hurrying down the wall until she reached one of the balconies. Looking down, the sea of soldiers staring up at the sky looked like ants, and when Hecate followed their gaze she found the fae realm sky long gone instead replaced with the stars of the mortal coil. This was more than just an invasion, this was going to be a massacre that no one will see coming. 

Summoning her magic, Hecate opened a portal to the forest. The very one which Pippa was supposed to arrive at, and reached up to touch her forehead with her fingertips. Pulling her fingertips away she made a living copy of herself and nodded in the direction of the portal, “You know what to do.”

Her copy nodded and disappeared through the portal. She didn’t have time to seal the portal as the door burst open, revealing her mother who stalked over to the portal.

Hecate held her breath, hoping the invisibility spell she hastily threw up wouldn’t be noticed, and observed her mother. There were thin black vines running over her skin and it confirmed what Hecate suspected long ago. 

Margery snapped her fingers causing ten fae soldiers to appear on the balcony. “Follow her and bring her back to me alive.” When the soldiers disappeared through the portal, Margery turned away. “Stop defending her, Raigar, we need her on our side if this is to work.”

A chill went down Hecate’s spine as she watched her mother stalk back inside. The invisibility spell faded away and she stared in disbelief at the door from what she just heard. If her mother was seeing her father then part of the essence was already here and had been festering for some time. Most likely feeding off of her mother’s instability and the powerful magic she excluded and in turn it made her actions seem like her own when in fact it was the madness infecting her further.

Peering over the edge, Hecate wasted little time in dropping over the railing and landing quietly on the balcony below where she quickly and silently entered the building again.

****

She wove her way through the various floors, exploring, searching, marking with the liquid potion she carried in a hidden bag in her robes. The magic flared up briefly then died down, turning invisible but the mark was more than enough as Hecate traversed lower and lower. When she reached the basement level a massive seal greeted her. It glowed the dangerous red of her mother’s magic.

Hecate leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. Occasionally she looked at the seal then directly across from her. She would have checked her watch but remembered it was still around Pippa’s neck. Or at least she hoped. 

A light crackle sounded and across from the dark haired witch, yellow and white light began dripping to the ground until a large enough portal appeared. Her doppelgänger stepped out and to the side allowing the midnight blue furred wolf to leap through. Its eyes shined the silver of the moon and long streaks poured down its cheeks and neck before following its shoulders and ending at its front paws. 

“Keres,” greeted Hecate in a half bow. The wolf bowed in returned and sniffed the air. It turned its attention to the seal. “What of the soldiers?”

“Dead,” said her doppelganger, “Fell into a ravine.”

“What of the others?”

The doppelganger shook her head, “Most of the Otherworld is already gone. She’s funneling most of the energy from there. It’ll cease to exist within the hour.”

Hecate sighed. That was less time than she suspected. She scratched her cheek and chin in thought before turning back to the wolf. “Can you break it without alerting my mother?”

The wolf, Keres, looked at her with a glint in its moonlight silver eyes and huffed out a puff of air. It walked closer to the seal and sat in front of it. 

That was when time began to slow down and Hecate felt like she was going to lose her mind. It was obvious that the cracking of the seal would take time, however, Pippa was in danger and the witching hour was becoming stronger and stronger. The longer Pippa was trapped down there, the weaker she’d become and if they didn’t hurry up, Hecate feared she might find the witch drained of her magic or worse.

Just when she was about to say something, Keres howled and the seal glowed hot white before breaking. The door rumbled open and what greeted them in the darkness was a massive labyrinth that none of them had time for. Keres leaped forward, the silver streaks shining brightly and when the wolf touched the labyrinth’s wall, the stone dissolved away.

Their path seemingly free now except that the fragments of the wall remained suspended in the air. The moment the first step was taken, toxic fumes filled the air, threatening to suffocate them before they could make it a foot in. 

Hecate’s doppelganger summoned a barrier, holding her arms up and beckoning the others inside. As they stepped into the remnants of the labyrinth, the fragments pelleted against the barrier, dissolving away in an attempt to get inside. The journey, though straightforward, took time. The barrier had to be sustained by magic not of Hecate’s doing as not to alert her mother and the constant almost incessant pelleting of the fragments. But the white square at the end grew larger and larger. 

Soon enough they were through, the shimmering gate whisking them away to another subsection of the basement and when their surroundings were no longer a blur, Hecate found herself face to face with her father or what was once her father. 

“You wear his face but you are not him,” said Hecate, her voice cold, even, and collected.

The thing with her father’s face smiled, “You’re more perceptive than your mother.”

“My mother has suffered much in her life. A factor you took advantage of. What are you promising her?”

“The very thing she yearns for: her family.”

Hecate sighed, “You cannot undo death.”

“Can’t I?” said the thing. 

Dark eyes narrowed in the thing’s direction but before she could do anything, her mother appeared at its side. “Now, Hecate, perhaps you’ll listen to reason.”

“You expect me to reason with madness?”

“I expect you to reason with me.”

“That thing is not father. It is not your husband,” said Hecate, “It is the very seed left behind that brought on father’s madness and now it’s latched onto you.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“Why can’t you see the truth?”

Margery scoffed, “The truth.” She slowly and sadly shook her head. “The truth is you won’t aid me in bringing in the future.”

“Future? Future?” Hecate gave a hollow laugh, “There is no future. If you harness the power of the essence it will rip the fabric of this world apart.”

“Well,” Margery never finished the sentence or perhaps she never planned to instead she summoned her magic and lunged at her daughter. Hecate transferred away and summoned her magic shield just as her mother unleashed a heavy assault of volleying attacks when she came out of her transference. 

Hecate broke the shield and dropped to the ground, slamming her palms against the cold metal and sent up a rippling wave that upended metal and pushed her mother back. Margery, however, recovered quickly and sent forward a crackling whip. It struck Hecate across the cheek, drawing a deep red line of blood. 

The dark haired witch melted the upended sheets of metal and began launching each spike in her mother’s direction. Margery countered by creating a spinning shield that deflected each and every one until Hecate aimed lower causing one to rip into the Queen’s thigh. In return she sent a volley of thick earthen spikes after her daughter.

Hecate leapt out the way just in time but her mother transferred behind her, delivering a harsh kick to her side that sent her rolling along the hard floor. She moved to get up when an invisible force lifted her and threw her across the room. 

Margery was about to deal another blow when Keres leapt out of the shadows and sunk its canines into her shoulder, clamping down hard and give a powerful jerk back and forth. Margery screamed from the pain before her nails dug into the wolf and with her magic she threw it across the room.

The dark haired witch sent up a force field catching the wolf before it could meet the piercing spikes blooming from the wall and Hecate allowed the creature to be set on the ground before she turned her attention back to her mother. “This madness has doomed you.”

“No,” Margery shook her head, dark tendrils seeping from her body as her forest green eyes turned pure black upon the activation of her fae powers, “You have forsaken your family and for that, my dear child, you must be punished.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magical fight will continue and more things to come in the next chapter so please stick around!  
> Thank you for everyone who is reading this and staying for more. This is a fun journey so far  
> Stay fantastic, stay interested, stay true, my lovely readers  
> I'll see you in the next one


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super long update for you guys! I was actually going to split this into two chapters but I decided not. It's a long one and I really hope you'll like it even with the shocker  
> All mistakes are my own

The thing with her father’s face had disappeared and she knew where it was. It wasn’t her father. No, it was the projection of her father brought on by the broken sanity of her mother’s mind and while she should be mad at such a thing, she couldn’t find it in her heart. Instead what she felt was the heavy pang of sorrow and sadness, at the loneliness her mother had felt since the death of Raigar Hardbroom, and the rest of her children. It tore open a wound that never got the chance to properly heal and in her desperation to seek out Pandora’s Cube, Margery was consumed by her grief, allowing the same madness into her heart that was behind her actions. 

Hecate felt her mother’s magic strike her, hurl her across the room, crack walls, indent the floors with crater like holes, and break more things. She knew the strength but now she felt what she had always know: the all too familiar madness. When the world stilled and Hecate found herself looking up at the dark ceiling while her vision fought to regain its composure, she embraced the difficult task she knew she would have to undertake one day.

When her mother’s magic snaked towards her, Hecate flicked her wrist, disappearing in a transference spell and reappearing in three separate locations. Her doppelganger knew exactly what had been planned and the witch had summoned forth another copy during the transfer. The easy display of magic only served to anger her mother further as she unleashed a volley of fae fire.

The purple and black flames scorched metal, burned at the copies but only caused them to reappear at another location. The real Hecate stood in the shadows and knelt down. A spell rushing past her lips in hushed whispers. Soon foreign symbols poured from her fingers onto the metal sheets. She closed her eyes concentrating her efforts into the search and when she realized where Pippa was, pure unfiltered rage poured through her.

Snapping her head up, her eyes turned pure black and she whipped out a terrible lashing of purple magic flames that threw her mother into the nearest wall and directly through it. Margery groaned from the sudden magic attack and managed to get herself up on an elbow just as her daughter stepped through the hole in the wall. She spat the blood from her mouth, “Found your little human have you?”

The answer she received was Hecate raising her arm and as she did so the Queen of the Fae left the ground, lifted by an invisible force. Hecate flicked her fingers out and threw her mother across the room again. This time, however, Margery was able to supplement her magic to cushion her and as she slid to the floor, she laughed, “What did you expect? Kindness?” Margery threw a fae magic spike at her daughter but it was dissolved before it could even come within striking range. 

Margery staggered to her feet, summoned forth a barbed whip, and lunged at her daughter readying a strike. The whip crackled through the air but it never made contact as Hecate had grasped it, allowing it to coil around her arm. She grasped the barbed blades, feeling them dig into her skin and draw blood but the pain went ignored. The pain wasn’t important. 

Golden fire seeped from beneath her palm, licking at the whip which hissed at the contact. The fire shot up just as Hecate summoned ice to form beneath her mother’s feet and up her legs, freezing her in place. 

Margery gritted her teeth, “You dare use such magic in this realm?” 

“You forced my hand, mother.” The wind picked up around Hecate as a golden outline encased the powerful witch. The ancient magic obeyed without hesitation and the golden flames raced towards the queen.

Margery attempted to lose her hold on the handle but it wouldn’t move. When the golden flames began consuming her, she screamed in pain. The flare up of darkness fought against the pureness, trying to overcome it. She could hear her husband’s pain, feel what he felt, and fought to keep it at bay. The ice binding her legs, dug through the fabric of her clothes, splitting skin while sinking into her veins. Shivering she let out a frozen breath just as the flames flared up.

The ground rumbled. Flames and screams united then a terrible explosion rocked the area. Hecate was blasted back but she skidded on her feet, maintaining her balance as she threw up a barrier to shield her from the debris. When silence floated in and the dust settled, Hecate stared at the truth her mother had been hiding all these years. 

Margery Hardbroom had once been a beautiful, intelligent woman. The envy of many, the heart stealer of others, and her ability with wield magic with such ease was awe-inspiring but now, the madness had claimed all of that. Her skin was a deathly white, eyes the bitter blackness of an endless dark night, black veins danced across her skin, glowing purple with the pulsating curse magic of the dark fae. Her nails scratched open the metal floor as she rose to her feet. Her hair, wild and untamed as it flew in all directions, had lost its beautiful raven color, replaced now with the dull purple of the disillusioned fae. Her mouth was pulled into a thin line and her face once full and luscious was gaunt. The madness had taken more from her than her daughter had suspected.

“You foolish child, I should have put you down when you were but a suckling babe,” she hissed, her voice distorted and Hecate knew whatever had once been of her mother no longer existed for this was the hollowed out form madness had taken over.

“Yes, you should have,” replied Hecate. She summoned forth the silver blade forged high in the mountains of the Otherworld during a time when peace existed between the two realms and tightened her grip.

The madness stared at the witch for a long time causing it to feel like the calm before the storm. Hecate did not back down. Not even when the thing that had once taken on the form of her father and now walked with her mother’s shape, grinned that lifeless hungry grin. She noted how it floated inches above the floor, never touching the metal, and the sudden whoosh beckoned forth a long flaming spear. It remained where it was but in a split second, Hecate noticed how it winked out of existence.

That brief opening gave enough away as she twisted to the side, her blade raised just as the madness figure appeared behind her thrusting the spear. Metal met metal, sparks flew as the spear grinded against the blade. Hecate summoned a cluster of earthen spikes from below causing both of them to leap back. The distance much needed. 

Margery chuckled, “This brings back memories.”

“You lost last time,” stated Hecate, “You will lose again.”

“Perhaps,” the madness with her mother’s face grinned, “Perhaps not.”

It did not wait for further conversation as it lunged forward, thrusting the spear with dangerous speed over and over. Hecate was forced on the defensive, quickly blocking and parrying each thrust. She managed to unleash a blinding flash bang spell between them and transfer a safe distance away. But in doing so she summoned her doppelgangers and together they attacked from all sides. She knew she had to wear the madness down first, distract it, in order to extract the shard it somehow had managed to get of the essence.

No doubt it did so with the aid of her mother and as much as she wanted to curse the woman, she knew she couldn’t. It was a broken heart that drove her mother all the closer to the depths of madness and it took advantage of that. It was a uniqueness of the cube. Those of weaker minds or ailing hearts and spirits were easily manipulated.

With her illusions, the magic flowed without limitations. A torrential rain hammered away at the inside, soaking everyone to the core. Lightning was harness between her fingers and unleashed in a volley of attacks that forced the madness back and on the defensive. One terrible strike of lightning managed to snap its spear in hand before it danced upwards and unleashed its full might.

The madness dropped to its knees. Smoke pouring off in long grey fumes from its body, its breathing erratic and unstable, but soon enough it sank into the rising waters and grasped Hecate from below. It dragged the illusions under until it had the true caster and pulled her under.

The waters were icy cold and dark. An interdimensional realm quickly thrown up by the madness where it could reign supreme. But Hecate was prepared, had always been prepared. She threw the silver blade into the depths, aided by her magic before she reached into her pocket, pulling out a potion from early.

The potion drew the madness out and it grasped her arm, yanking her back causing pain to flare in her shoulder but eventually Hecate did hand over the potion. It was just as she suspected. Snapping her fingers in the water like dimensional realm, everything began to tremble. Unstable rumbling came from all directions and the potion grasped by the madness exploded to create a sticky substance that ensnared it.

Hecate transferred after her blade and fell through a watery barrier. Sucking in the fresh air after she met the hard ground, she looked around and found the familiar rocky cavern. Some things never changed. She had thought the madness had learned from last time. As she got to her feet, readying for another transference; this time to where her blade had already stopped, she was attacked from behind by the serpent. 

Powerful jaws attempted to crush her but Hecate had just enough time to summon her magic and grasp its upper face. She poured her strength into the spell to keep the muscles from clamping down on her as the serpent kept propelling itself forward. Sure enough they crashed through a thick rocky wall then another then another.

When the dust cleared, her arms were shaking from the strain of keeping the serpent from ending her life but even the creature was worn out from the beating against the thick rock walls it went through. It reared its long body up, shaking its head back and forth violently until Hecate was dislodged and flung across the vast open area. She recovered faster than it could turn its head, disappearing into a mid-air transference and appearing in a little nook in the wall.

Leaning her head against the cool wall, she managed to catch her breath. Blood poured from her temple and somehow she wasn’t sure how good the strength in her legs was but she couldn’t let on that she was weakening. This was a mere ploy by the madness in an attempt to weaken her further. A blue light clicked on across the area then quickly went out. It did so in rapid succession.

Hecate looked in the direction and found one of her illusion copies pressed against the stone wall, blending in with the material. It held a cosmic glinting shard in its hands. The essence of reality!

Her heart raced because she knew with that she could redirect part of the witching hour and probably take care of the madness for good this time. But before anything could happen the serpent crashed into the wall, not too far from where Hecate was hiding and she was forced to transfer away.

Reappearing on the ground below she let out a whistle to attract its attention. As it turned its full head in her direction, it hissed, revealing large sharp fangs and a set of dangerous teeth. It made a move to lunge but at the last second swipe its tail at the witch and threw her against a heavy boulder. Hecate let out a pained cry as the serpent’s tail coil around the boulder, effectively pinning her there, and as its muscles constricted she was pressed harder against the stone.

The air was pulled from her lungs. She felt her ribs were on the verge of collapsing but Hecate felt the old scales beneath her fingers. She muttered the spell. Her hands glowing a poison green and she dug her fingers beneath several scales, digging and digging until her black nails pierced skin. 

“I’m sorry,” she told the creature, “You don’t deserve this but you didn’t deserve what was done to you in the first place.”

The serpent began thrashing about in pain but Hecate summoned forth magical chains that kept its tail end and lower body coil around the boulder.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

The hissing grew louder and louder as the creature thrashed its upper body and head against the walls, making rocks fall from the ceiling. 

“May you find peace in the next life.”

With that Hecate released the last part of the spell. The green flames violently tore through the creature, burning it from the inside out until thin black ashes littered the air of where it once stood. She had tried to make it as quick as she could. 

A breath left her body as she stumbled away from the boulder and further into the opening. Her copy greeted her, handing over the shard and melting back into the witch. There was a brief relief as she felt a small healing come over her. She knew she had already stretched herself too thin and this fighting wasn’t making it any easier. 

Holding the shard in one hand, her magic reached out to it and the essence of reality recognized her. Soon it liquefied and absorbed into her body. She could feel the hum of the rebuilt cube outside of this dimension and of all the essence it had already collected but she could also feel the underlying pain not belonging to the person who was trapped. She was about to rip this dimension apart when she felt a presence behind.

Twisting on her heel, she threw up a barrier just in time as the madness reappeared. It hammered away at the shield with chunks of rock and torrents of water, some in the form of thick chunks of ice. Until powerful purple void magic grasped the dark haired witch and flung her across the room.

Mid-air Hecate recovered, flipping over, her hand and boots grinded against the stone to bring a halt to the momentum and she wasted no time in lunging forward. The essence pooling its magic with herself and she unleashed a flying sphere of darkness. It collided with the ground, scorching and pulling everything in. Inside the black and purple stasis field, the madness and Hecate exchanged blow for blow.

Being pushed back, she used magic to increase her speed as she delivered a powerful blow across the madness’s cheek and kept going through a portal she flung open. Hecate reappeared above, the silver blade back in her hand and was about to come down in an unavoidable thrust but the madness blocked the attack and dealt a heavy kick to her midsection. Before she could go flying, it transferred in and out, each time dealing another attack until Hecate summoned vines out of the field to pull the madness away.

They were too evenly matched but neither showed signs of backing down. As they clashed over and over again, each looking for an opening, something unexpected happened. The madness let down its guard allowing Hecate to bring the blade in a downward arch. Before it could connect the madness grasped the silver blade between its palms. The metal hissed against its skin and it gritted its bloody lips at the pain.

Then the blade snapped.

The sound echoed throughout the area and disbelief stuck Hecate. That shouldn’t have been possible. It was the ideal distraction because the madness grasped the broken blade part and stabbed the witch through the side of her stomach. Blood dripped from the blade as it went through her body. 

The madness stepped closer to the witch ignoring the biting pain of the silver blade. Behind the witch it opened a portal where the pale pink light shined from. “I knew you’d let your guard down one day,” it whispered into her ear. “Sshh, shh, don’t talk.” The madness twisted the blade around, bringing forth a cry of pain from the witch as it turned them. “Your precious human witch will be such a fitting sacrifice.”

Hecate looked into the pale pink light and saw the floating outline of Pippa. The magic being drained from the young witch as the reforged cube hovered above her head. Dark energy from the fae realm and the dead ancient magic from the Otherworld were being filtered through the blonde witch and brought into the cube. There were flare ups of cosmic strips which were part of the essence of reality that Hecate had ripped apart centuries ago. 

“You certainly found a pure one,” the madness grinned.

Hecate tried to say something. Her magic struggled to gain traction under the blow it had been dealt but the madness twisted the blade and ripped it further into her stomach.

“Patience really does pay off,” said the madness before it released the witch. Hecate crumbled to the ground, blood pouring from the wound, her vision fading in and out. The broken pieces of the sword fell to the floor and the madness walked towards the pale pink light. “Goodbye, Hecate. You were quite the worthy opponent but a new world awaits.”

****

“Hecate.”

She stirred slightly, not quite wanting to open her eyes because she felt warm and comfortable and at peace. She tuned the voice out, wanting nothing more than several more minutes of sleep. The warmth was too inviting, too coaxing in its sweet lullaby and she felt herself slipping back into the depths of darkness.

Suddenly a warm hand caressed her cheek and the alluring voice spoke her name again. When she opened her eyes, she saw a blurred figure leaning over her. Slowly blinking her vision back into clarify, Hecate found her mother smiling warming at her. 

Hecate smiled back because she knew this was her mother long before the madness had sunk it's teeth into her heart and mind and corrupted her soul. The sorrow in her heart overwhelmed her and she couldn't stop the tears from running down her cheeks. If only she could fix the past, take back what was done, stop the madness, and so much more.

Warm fingers brushed aside her tears, Margret leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead. "It's not your fault," she told her softly. "You did nothing wrong."

"But I caused you so much pain."

Margret shook her head, "Perish the thought, my sweet starling. You did what you had to do and I expected nothing less. Not from my daughter. You were always smarter than anyone else. You see what others fail to. It is I who should be apologizing. Not you."

"I broke your heart."

"You wouldn't be mine if you didn't. Children hold that power but you did it with good intentions. I had it coming."

"How can you not be mad?"

"Parents are supposed to forgive their children. We are set on this world to make mistakes and learn. I failed that lesson when your father died and my grief cause me to ignore you. I let you travel down a desolate path where I should have been there to support you but you shouldered so much. Too much." Margret shook her head. "No, it is you who should be mad at me but your heart is much too pure for that."

"You give me too much credit."

"And you don't give yourself enough. It's no wonder you fell for that blonde witch." Margret smiled, "Yes, I know all about that one. She's of the good sort. You can learn much from her like how to forgive yourself."

"I'm not sure I deserve forgiveness."

Margret scoffed, "That's the stubbornness you get from me." She shook her head, "You're too much like your father and myself. I'd almost say you were the perfect blend."

Hecate arched a delicate eyebrow, "What's the but?"

"You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Of every world and you refuse to allow others to help you. You trouble yourself with burdens far beyond your reach. But worse of all you chain yourself to a past that you cannot change. I took away your future. I was influenced by Pandora's Cube and that is not your fault.These mistakes are mine and unfortunately I am forcing you to shoulder them and make the amends. For that I hope you can one day forgive me and I hope that one day you will find the strength to forgive the weight of your own heart but right now you need to get up."

Hecate frowned. There was more she wished to talk to her mother about, her mother untarnished by the bitter madness. She opened her mouth but once again her mother cut her off. 

"You have to get up, Hecate. Your tasks are not yet completed. Get up. Save the love of your life. Stop the madness before it tears all three realms apart and reforms them in a corrupted image of itself. Get up."

"What are you-"

"Get up."

Hecate's frown deepened. She felt her mother tighten her hold on her face and that was when the pain flared up in her stomach. The air was pulled from her lungs. White hot blinding pain consumed her vision, blocking out the beautiful, uncorrupted form of her mother until all she saw was white. 

The whiteness bled red then black.

A gasp broke the quietness of the vast cave. It ripped across the destroyed walls and ascended the high ceiling and in turn it brought Hecate back to the living. She felt the blinding pulsating pain in her stomach. With trembling hands she touched the silver blade and from the tension in her muscles it twisted slightly causing her to give out a pained cry.

Leaning back, the stones were cool against her hot forehead. Sucking in gulps of sir,nshe looked at the silver blade protruding from her stomach and bit her lip. This was going to hurt. A lot. 

Trembling hands began to glow purple as Hecate summoned forth her strained magic. It reached out to grasp the blade, gritting her teeth and attempting to bite back the pain, she carefully and slowly extractsd the blade straight up. When the last of of the silver left her stomach, it clinked to the ground and she pressed her hands against the wound. Blood poured from the loss of the blade, staining her hands. 

Sure enough she felt like she was going to die but she couldn't. Death would not happen today. Not again. Not while there were plenty of things left to do. She called upon the essence she had earlier absorbed and it came rushing to her air. White and gold glowed beneath her hands and she felt her organs, muscle, and flesh stitch itself back together after blood seemed back into her body.

Heacte turned over quickly and threw up. The healing was always something she hated and she took several minutes to catch her breath, sucking in gulp after gulp of fresh air. Slowly getting back to her feet, she held her hand over the fragments of the silver blade. Her magic mixed with the essence melted the precious metal and caused it to circle around her forearm before glowing and creating a scaled vambrace. 

Raising her armored arm, her magic poured through, searching for where the portal had been then ripping it open. She saw the fractured remnants of the fae realm and from standing in front of the portal she could sense the faintest slithers of the Otherworld remaining. Reaching into the portal with her armored arm, she felt the fragments of the essence of reality dispersed in the Otherworld come rushing toward her. Hecate closed her eyes, opened her palm, and allowed the essence inside of her to take control.

The remnants of the Otherworld were ripped apart. She heard the screams of its life in her head before closing off her heart to its absorption. The essence felt warm as it coursed through her veins, she felt the familiar melting with her magic, and knew the essence remembered her. Part of her had missed it. The power, the unlimited magic, the very fabric she could look into when she witnessed the world but it was also a terrifying aspect. What it all gifted, it could easily take away or corrupt if the person it attached itself to wasn't strong enough. 

Hecate wasn't weak. She wasn't consumed by grief, sorrow, or the unthinkable desperation that had taken so many before. She knew the true appearance of the madness, how it was a plague upon the cube, a disease that came from the weak souls of the mortals long before Pandora's Cube fell into the hands of the Hardbroom family and even before the Kaiser family stumbled across it. It was everything that was wrong with the mortals: the greed, the corruption, the gluttony, the lust, the power. It was plainly put the sins that plagued the living but it was twisted with the souls who thought they were worthy, who believed them to be greater than the forces of nature and the very cosmic essence that controlled the universe. 

Hecate knew and accepted the governing factors of the world. She knew she was a lone soul who stood at the gates, fighting to keep the evil and those corrupted beings from hammering away at the natural process of life. And this fight wasn't over.

She stepped into the portal. The essence floating around, reaching out, calling to what was still trapped between the worlds, the hypnotic power ever consuming as it grew.

****

A sudden terrible rumbling shook the fae realm. The grotesque and twisted soldiers reared their head in the direction and witnessed the tear ripnits presence into their world. Out of the tear stepped Hecate Hardbroom, her hair flying wildly about her as her eyes blowed dangerously and deeply red like pure fire. She raised her arm just as the first cluster of soldiers began charging at her. In a split second they dissolved to ashes.

The ashes were still floating through the air when the remaining soldiers turned in her direction. A series of soldiers leapt at her from all directions, blades raised high above them to slash or readying in powerful thrusts but nothing touched her. The soldiers were struck by an invisible barrier where they stayed for a second before they dissolved away to ash.

Hecate walked the path toward the silver building, destroying the fae army or what was the face army as she went. It didn't take long and when the last stragglers attempted to retreat to the building, her powerful magic swept across them in a wave of purple flames and rendered them ash.

She stared up at the building, raised her armored arm, and curled her fingers inwards. The building began to tremble, the makings she did earlier with the potion activated and soon the building collapsed releasing an all consuming wave of smoke and dust. 

When it settled, the pale pink column revealed itself and the sky showed the mortal coil. There was little doubt of them not noticing the invasion but now the mortals were no longer under threat from the undead army of the fae. Before she could get closer to the barrier where she knew Pippa was still suffering, the madness still wearing her mother's twisted face appeared. 

"You never fail to impress me," it's distorted voice said. 

"Yet you've never once impressed me," said Hecate. She snapped her fingers, dissolving the appearance of her mother and revealing the true appearance of the madness.

The slithering dark mass was a series of coils, Al moving in their own direction, twisted dropping eyes popped up all over its body, blinking then disappearing only to reappear in another spot. Long boneless arms scrapped against the ground, leaving behind it's slime that began melting away the stone. Sure enough it tried to take on the appearance of another soul it had once consumed but nothing would hold as a series of features came and went, mixing and mingled before dissolving away. 

"We could rule together," said the madness, taking on the faceless form of some ancient wizard long before Hecate's time.

"Not interested." Flames roared toward the madness and it leapt out of the way but it wasn't fast enough as the combined magic of Hecate and the essence scorched it's back.

The madness hissed in pain, writhing on the ground and melting down to a liquid pool before it reformed in a faceless witch. "You bite the hand that offers you the world."

Hecate frowned, "I have no desire to rule the world." 

The battle began anew. Terrible magic lashed at the two, a streak of purple threw Hecate to the ground but she was quickly back on her feet and disappeared in a transference and attacked the madness head on. Massive boulders were thrown at one another, crushed, dissolved, rendered down to dust. Shards of metal came flying and pierced te madness's body but the holes quickly closed and it lasted out at the witch.

It's coils wrapped around the witches upper body and Hecate unleashed a wave of cosmic fire. The madness was forced back. Black liquid dripping from its limbs, missing as it touched the ground, no longer under its command as it writhed and died. It was in that moment the madness realized just what Hecate had done. Fear touched it and it moved on the defensive, sinking further and further back but the witch was prepared for such things.

Suddenly silver spikes shot out of the ground. The first one pierced the madness from behind, directly in the chest. It gurgled for air but before it could move a second spike shot out, coming in from the side and coming back out by the shoulder. Another spike went through the thigh, one through the center of the palm, halting the movement in the limb. The fingers twitched then died down. A last one pierced the knee, halting all attempts at moving away and with the madness pinned, Hecate, with her flaming hair and eyes, walked toward it.

The madness struggled against it's bindings but the silver, the pure silver of the Otherworld, held it in place. It stuttered to speak but the gurgling devoured all words. Fear coursed through its body and there could have been something pitying about the creature but pity did not register in her heart.

Flames ignited over her hands, first licking the pure red fire of nature before it gave way to the cosmic flames cursing through the vast universe. The essence was taking over and she heard the madness whimpering when she reached for it.

"This is goodbye," said Hecate. The madness shook it's head, trying to break free but it was too little too late. Her hands touched the madness's face and the flames roared to life. Screams and missing filled the air until nothing of the madness remained. The cleansing was complete and it felt like a key was sliding into the lock for a final time.

When the flames died down, Hecate felt weak. The lifelong enemy of the Essencemof reality had finally been defeated, Nothing of it remained on the ground and as the spikes retreated, returning to the silver vambrace, she let out a deep breath. Seating slightly but she shook it off as she looked to the pale pink column. 

The witching hour was still taking place. Pippa's magic was still drawing in the energy and lifeforce of the fae realm and the other half of the essence. Hecate walked toward the column and stepped into it.

****

Julie looked at the sky, clutching her daughter in her arms. The wind gusted around them, trees were bending, and the weather was spiraling into a chaotic mess. It had been an hour when the sky opened, revealing a terrifying expanse of endless darkness and a scattering of stars. It would have been beautiful but seeing the sky open like that brought on nothing but fear. Even now as the weather swirled I. all directions and the sun was being blotted out by thick dark clouds, Julie couldn't stop staring at it. She held onto her daughter for dear life, wondering if this was the end.

A transference spell came beside her and Dimity placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention away from the sky, "Are you alright?" she yelled over the gusting winds. 

"What's going on?" Julie yelled after nodding.

"I don't know! No one does!"

"Where's Pippa?"

"I thought she was with you!"

Julie shook her head again then looked around at the people out on the streets. She recognized her neighbors and other strangers but there was no sign of her best friend. "We should go to the cottage!"

"Are you sure?" Dimity nodded at Mildred, "What about Mildred?"

"This isn't the time to worry about ghosts at the cottage!"

"I'm just saying."

"Let's go."

The three managed to weave their way through the crowd and to Julie's car. None of them risked transferring, not in this weather. A car was most likely safer. 

****

Pippa's magic was all around her, basking her in a warmth that felt like the sun, but as te dark haired witch looked around, she found a vast expanse of emptiness greeting her. She couldn't be too late, could she? Slight panic set in when she couldn't find the blonde but then she came across the transparent outline of her mother who pointed her in the right direction.

She found the blonde witch floating in the middle of the vastness. Pandora's Cube hovering in front of her, sucking out the witch's magic that was being mixed with the fae essence and the occasional shard of the essence of reality that managed to worm it's way inside. Hecate slowly floated toward the witch. A warning spark came from the cube. 

Closing her eyes at the difficult decision ahead, Hecate carefully reached out and rested her palm against the blonde's cheek. "Pippa, I need you to hear me."

Silence greeted her.

"Pippa," she brushed her thumb across the witches cheekbone and gently released a bit of her magic.

It took a bit but when the blonde felt the familiar magic, she stirred slightly. "Hecate?" Her voice sounded far away and Hecate knew why, the cube was already taking over and she had to stop.

"Hey, I need you to come back to me," Hecate said softly. "Follow my voice." She took a breath, "Do you remember that time when..."

Slowly Hecate began bringing up a memory from the cottage. It was after the school proposal went through and long after they both realized their feelings for one another but she kept talking, kept her voice calm and even until she saw the first flutterings of Pippa's eyelashes.

"Hi," breathed Pippa with a warm smile when her ghost's face came into clarity.

"Hi, I'm sorry for being late," said Hecate.

"I knew you'd come," Pippa brought her hand up and rested it over Hecate's.

"Try not to move too much," said Hecate, "The cube's draining your magic but I can reverse it."

Pippa nodded, "I trust you."

It was the essence fused within Hecate that activated and reached out toward the cube. She brought her other hand an inch away from the object, slowly magic poured from her hand and into the cube. It took a bit but as the absorption was being reversed, Hecate felt the rush of the other essence shards. 

"Hecate," Pippa's voice faltered and the witch looked up in alarm, "I'm not..." she trailed off. 

"I know," Hecate whispered and just as the cube began feeding off of her, Pippa collapsed into her arms. The dark haired witch took in the cube, feeling it against her chest before it dissolved into her skin and sure enough the pale pink column began to fade. 

Touching down on the ground of the fae realm with the blonde witch in her arms, Hecate looked up at the sky. The mortal coil was still looking back at them. She tightened her grip on the woman before being whisked away in a transference.

****

Just as Julie and Dimity arrived at the cottage, dark tendrils appeared in front of the door. Julie held her hand up, keeping her hair at bay as she watched a figure step out of the mass of darkness. Then she saw her best friend in the figure's arms and rushed forward.

It was Dimity who grasped her arm at the steps to keep her from getting too close. A low curse left her lips as she saw who the figure was. "Holy shit, you're real."

Hecate arched en eyebrow but said nothing. She turned her attention to Julie, "You're a healer correct?"

Julie opened and closed her mouth several times, flabbergasted at the sight of the ghost in physical form. Dimity's nudge to the ribs brought her back to her senses. "Um... yes. What happened to her? Will she be alright?"

"She'll require an infusion of magic for the next sixteen hours but she'll be fine after that," Hecate informed them.

"What happened?" 

Dimity's question went ignored as Hecate, though reluctant, handed over the unconscious witch to Julie and Dimity quickly helped her. 

"Take care of her," said Hecate. She moved to step back when Pippa's hand grasped her wrist. Slowly Hecate loosened her grip and gently caressed the witch's cheek. Pippa was still too weak and her vision struggled to maintain its clarity. She wanted to say something, to tell Hecate not to go, to ask if she'd come back, but darkness took over.

Hecate stepped back toward the cottage and was about to transfer away when she heard Julie yell her daughter's name and sure enough little Mildred Hubble stood before her, a determined expression on her face.

"You're coming back, right?" It wasn't much of a question, more of a demand. "Right! You're not just going to leave her."

Hecate sighed, "It's not that simple, little one."

"Yes, it is!"

Hecate knelt in front of the child and observed her for a moment. "Do you see that tear in the sky?"

Mildred looked up and nodded.

"I'm the only one who can fix it and I don't know what will happen after that."

"But you'll come back," said Mildred and Hecate was surprised to find tears in the little girl's eyes. "You make her happy. Happier than I've ever seen her. You can't abandon her." The tears were falling freely now.

Hecate pulled the black handkerchief from her sleeve and offered it to the child. "I-"

"Promise!" Mildred cut her off, "Promise you'll come back for her."

Hecate gave a strained smile and rose to her feet. She gave the girl a reassuring squeeze to her shoulder then stepped back and transferred away.

****

It was meant to be easy. She was meant to stay alive until the essence inevitably collapsed in on itself, destroying both the fae realm and Otherworld thus taking her with it and keeping the mortal world safe. That was the plan. Had been the plan, was always the plan but now, now... well it became more complicated. She hadn't expected to fall in love centuries late and now she didn't exactly want to accept the death presented to her. But it was because of that love that she could do what she had to do.

Hecate floated in the space between the mortal coil and the fae realm, absorbing the remaining essence into her body and soul. This time she would ensurenit would be utterly destroyed and no one, not fae, not mortal, not anyone would ever come searching for it again. 

She witnessed the cracking and the peeling of the fae realm and when she looked to the mortal world, she knew the people: both magical and non magical were terrified but in time they would forget what happened here. That would be the one gift she would bestow upon them before she did what she had to.

When all the essence of reality came into her, melding with her magic, fusing with her soul, she saw the vast cosmic universe that existed far beyond this system. The way life grew and died, the distant past and the near future, the swirling eons of time and the ever moving cosmos. It was a sight she saw once before and it was a gift to witness it again, knowing that this beauty would be the last thing she ever saw before she fulfilled the final wish of the essence.

It was then she thought of Pippa. The beautiful and pure hearted blonde witch who unexpected came into her life when she stumbled across the ruins of the cottage. She had not cowered when she saw the fragment of Hecate that enjoyed the cottage so much, who cherished how it had been rebuilt, and of the little slice of paradise that existed in the world. Their time spent together truly had been magical even though she was a ghost at the time. Pippa's laughter reminded her of the coming spring and the full warmth of the summers she enjoyed when she had been alive. Truly the blonde witch was a gift and there was no doubt she would go on to do incredible things during her life. It was a shame that Hecate wouldn't witness any of that.

But that was okay. She was at peace with her decision. 

It was Pippa's smile that she thought of, the warmth of those beautiful brown eyes, the softness of her skin, her golden locks, her warm inviting magic. Her thoughts were only on Pippa.

That was when she torn the essence apart, overloading her magic and it and forcing it to implode on itself in this space between the fae realm and the mortal coil. 

Her last thought before everything went dark was: she had forgotten to tell Pippa she loved her too.

The fae realm collapsed with the explosion and the tear adorning the mortal sky slowly knitted itself together until the sky was whole and once again the sun came out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me! Please, just don't hate me.  
> We got two chapters left! Two! Which is good.  
> Don't hate me  
> Stay peaceful (haha, oh god I better start running)  
> I'll see you in the next one


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to hand out tissues for the last chapter. I'm sorry. I don't know if you'll need any here. Maybe.   
> On to the chapter!

She was diagnosed with magical exhaustion. How such a thing came on was much debated, some doctors said it must have been brought on by the stress of the new school. Of course, Pippa thought such a thing as foolish. Her school had just finished the blueprint stages and handed over to an architect who respected her choices. Building wasn't scheduled till late next month and now as she recovered in the hospital, Pippa stared out the window.

There was something funny about her memory. She couldn't recall what she had been doing prior to her collapse but she did recall being cradled in the warmth and loving embrace of someone dear to her heart. But who?

Frowning she watched the cloud sway across the sky and swore there had been a commotion early but whenever she asked the nurse or anyone passing by the answer had been a storm passed through unexpectedly. That didn't seem right. Something was nagging at her mind, attempting to stir her memories in the back but whatever it was, it wouldn't jostle free. 

She was thankful when Mildred came running into the room and leapt onto the bed, giving her a hug. 

"Mildred," said Julie, "take it easy with her."

Pippa laughed, "It's alright. I'm alright." She pulled her goddaughter into another hug. "You're growing up so fast."

"How are you feeling?"

Pippa smiled, "I'm fine. Really, I am."

"Hey, mom, could you get us some donuts from across the street? I think those will make Pippa feel even better!" Mildred gave her mother a pout and somehow it still worked.

Julie sighed, "Alright but you stay here and behave. Don't trouble Pippa too much."

Mildred nodded and waited till her mother had left before turning back to the blonde witch. "She saved your life you know."

Pippa frowned, "Who?"

"Your ghost," said Mildred matter of factly. She frowned when Pippa continued to look confused. "You remember your ghost don't you? She lived in your cottage. Tall, scary, dark hair, serious expression like she was always biting into a sour lemon."

Pippa laughed lightly at the description and she could almost picture the person Mildred was referring to but before her mind to grasp the image, it disappeared again. Sadly she shook her head.

"You can't have forgotten HB," said Mildred. It was then she saw the pendant watch around Pippa's neck. "She gave you that, you know." She pointed at the watch. Sure, her mother told it was rude to point but she couldn't let Pippa forget. Not when she had been so happy. 

Pippa looked at the pendant watch, gently cradling it in her hand. It was familiar and it had been a gift but from who? Was it from that mysterious woman Mildred was speaking of? She clicked it opened only to find that the time stopped. With a sigh she closed it. "Perhaps it'll come back to me," she half said to herself, half to Mildred. 

Mildred dropped the subject but quietly she swore she would make sure Pippa would either remember or never forget the dark haired woman who was such an important figure in her life, the one who made her so happy. Even if it took years but she would.

****

Life went on.

Pippa's school was built with four magnificent towers and a style not seen for a long time. It was all coming together and while Pippa divided her time between the cottage and the city (for the required and odd tasks that came with building a school), she still struggled with her memories. Inside of the cottage she found it comforting and inviting but there was something off about the cottage. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Late one night when she couldn't sleep, Pippa got out of bed and walked down the hall. For some reason her hand paused above the door knob like she was invading someone's privacy but that was silly. No one lived here with her unlike what Mildred repeatedly told her. 

Inside the observatory, the telescope pointed to the sky. The lighthouse had crumbled away shortly after she returned but no one really bothered with it. The structure would slowly be consumed by nature over time. She heard about the village that once lived down below but even those buildings had faded away, leaving Pippa with her cottage the sole building in this quiet place by the sea. Not that she minded it. With the school nearing it's opening year, it would be nice to have a place to go to get away from all the noise and stress even though she was looking forward to teaching. 

The shelves were strangely absent of some books for she could have sworn there was an entire line of books along the shelf but now there were only three. When she browsed through them she noted one told the history of the cottage and the other was of the family line that owned and lived in it. The third was the one where she got the idea of her school's building. Closing the last book, she stared at the shelf.

Getting off of the cushioned window ledge, she walked toward the shelf. There were books missing. Pippa's magic bristled beneath her fingertips when she reached out. Suddenly a shimmering series of books appeared with a heavy chain wrapped around them. They stayed for a minute then disappeared again. 

Pippa spun on her heel when she thought she heard a noise and saw the past come to life. A strikingly beautiful and tall woman appeared. She walked across the room with a journal floating by her side and a quill scratching across the parchment pages. She paused midway to her desk and turned in Pippa's direction almost as if she was seeing her.

The blonde witch noted the high cheekbones, the thin lips, the dark hair pulled into a tight bun, and those impossibly dark eyes that somehow were so strikingly familiar. The pendant watch around her neck glinted briefly and absently Pippa reached up to grasp the watch around her neck. She opened her mouth to speak but the woman already vanished. Her mind entered a tail spin and before she knew it the overwhelming sensation caused her to collapse in the middle of the observatory.

She awoke to the warm sun shining into the observatory. The silver pendant watch glinted under the warm rays and when Pippa touched the watch, her memories came flooding back. Everything raced through her mind, flashing before her eyes and she sat up with a gasp that pulled the air from her lungs.

"Hecate."

****

The official opening of Pentangles was amazing, filled with her closest friends and family and the new staff. It was filled with excitement, drinking, and the endless talks of prosperity. And Pippa was happy. Extremely happy. On the outside. Inside she was a staggered mess because her memories of everything had returned but the biggest problem was that she couldn't find Hecate anywhere. No one remembered that day when the sky tore open. 

When she was at the cottage an overwhelming sadness consumed her because she couldn't sense Hecate anywhere. Not her magic, nor her ghostly presence, nothing since that scattered fragment when she tried to reach for the books. She slept most nights in the observatory, waiting, hoping. And each morning, the same lingering sadness would greet her. She had locked up her cottage and set countless wards before she left the three weeks before school started.

Now as she sat in her office, mindlessly going over the schedule, looking for any error or problem just to keep her mind distracted, she couldn't help her thoughts wandering. Her fingers played with the pendant watch, spinning it one way then allowing it to unravel itself before she repeated the move. The watch, which she knew belonged to Hecate, her beloved ghost, never left her. 

She hadn't confided in her best friend of the memories nor had she told Dimity instead she chose to write her thoughts down in an enchanted journal which she kept safely locked in one of her desk drawers. It was somewhat soothing, getting her thoughts out on paper before she went to bed each night. The endless questions plaguing her every day during the quiet hours.

Soon enough, however, she was thrust into the beginning of the school year and while she still spent the nights writing down her thoughts and scattered pieces of memories she could recall, she was far too busy to give any thought to finding her ghost. It would be until the holidays when she stole away to the cottage and searched through the various methods of location someone. But everything came up blank. It was almost as if Hecate Hardbroom never existed.

Then a year passed. Pippa held a silent vigil every year on the same date when she last spent time with her ghost even though it was the dreaded moment when the sky had been torn open. 

One year passed. Then another. And another.

Before she knew it, Mildred was enrolled as a student along with her best friends: one Maud Spellbody (who spent quite some time convincing her parents she wanted to go to Pentangles and not Cackles like her parents) and the ever troublesome Enid Nightshade. They were good students for most part but they also had their moments in being the resident troublemakers.

But Pippa noticed something strange. Ever since the trio enrolled, she was running through more and more candidates for the position of Potions Mistress. As she thought back, she never had a potions mistress last longer than half a term. She had heard one of her staff comment on the position being cursed like in those Harry Potter books but Pippa had laughed the matter aside. There had to be something or a certain little trio behind the deed.

It was during All Hallow's Eve when she had just been informed by the current potions mistress that she was resigning that Pippa decided to silently explore her castle grounds under a cloaking spell. 

Sure enough she found Mildred, Enid, and Maud bent over a cauldron and an ancient spell book at their side. Ingredients were strewn about and the first page had read: How to get Rid of Unwanted Persons. She was about to say something when Mildred turned the pages.

"How to Search for Lost Souls," read Maud. She gave a heavy sigh, "Are you sure about this, Millie? This is way too advanced for us."

Enid nudged her, "Come on, Maud. We got to try. We can't give up on HB."

"She was scary though."

"But she gave us all those cool spells. Plus Millie got this book. Remember when we gave that bully a frog's head and a goat's butt because he kept calling you 'four eyes'? He left you alone after that."

Maud chewed on her bottom lip then finally nodded. "Okay, let's give it a shot. If it doesn't work..."

"Then we'll try every Halloween until it does work," said Mildred, determined as she always was with this matter. 

"Are you sure we shouldn't get Miss Pentangle?" asked Maud.

"No," Mildred shook her head, "Pippa's got enough on her hands and this has to be a surprise for her."

"And since when do you call her Miss Pentangle?" Enid shook her head, "She'll always be Pippa to us."

"Yes, but she's our headmistress now."

"She's family," said Mildred, "Now let's get started."

Pippa watched in silence and with baited breath as the trio prepared the ingredients which she noted were taken from the potions storage cupboards. She wondered if these were taken in the chaos that always occurred moments before a teacher quitting. Still, she was curious about this spell. It was simple enough, straight forward, written in a hand she was definitely familiar with but it couldn’t work could it?

The blonde witch had tried searching for lost souls before in her bid to find Hecate but her calls always went unanswered and from the look of this spell it wasn’t much different. Save for a few ingredients and a curious line at the very bottom. She knew she shouldn’t be getting her hopes up too high but secretly she was desperate to find her ghost again.

She stood back as the trio chanted the spell. Part of her wanted to add her magic to it but the spell had warned against doing so. Outside interference held dangerous consequences and Pippa bit back her magic instead she watched and listening. But nothing happened.

The girls waited for an hour, hoping against all odds at something happening but nothing did. It was Maud who suggested they go to bed because in the morning they had their first broomstick lesson with Miss Drill and reluctantly Mildred agreed. Together they packed up their things and hurried from the tower.

Pippa removed the cloaking spell and waved her hand, bringing a copy of the spell page and its ingredients before her. They floated, waiting for her to perform the spell and as she read and reread the page, Pippa gave it. It was nearing the early twilight hours when she performed the spell after brewing the potion but it too yielded no results. 

She felt defeated when she transferred from the tower back into her quarters. A few hours of sleep would lessen the pain perhaps but sleep did not come easy.

What Pippa didn’t realize was that after she left a small tear opened in the tower room and out stumbled a wolf pup with midnight blue fur and streaks down its face and front paws. It shook its tiny fluffy body before running into the door. It headbutted the wooden door then barked and upon command the door swung open. Happily the wolf pup traversed the stairs.

****

The broomstick lesson was a disaster. Mildred felt too defeated at the spell not working and Enid was the same but Enid was more tired than anything. Maud had suggested perhaps HB wasn’t a lost soul but a dead soul and they couldn’t exactly bring back the dead. Mildred refused to believe such a thing and Enid just exploded at the suggestion. Now that the trio of friends weren’t exactly speaking, arguments as they happen among the closest of friends, the girls slumped against the wall.

One good thing about today was they were able to choose their familiars. It was an exciting thing but the previous night still ran through their little minds. Maud apologized while they were nearing the door. She was just trying to be logical and while she didn’t believe HB was dead either, it was a scary thought that had plagued her mind for some months. 

“It’s alright,” said Mildred, accepting the apology quite easily, “We’re all worried.”

“It has been four years,” shrugged Enid then shook her head, “She can’t be dead. Ghosts can’t die again. Can they?”

Maud shrugged. A tentative silence fell among the girls as they pondered the question until Mildred was called up. She gave Pippa a sheepish smile, not quite daring to meet her godmother’s eyes until she felt warm fingers lift her chin up.

“There’s no need to be nervous about choosing a familiar,” said Pippa, “I can come with you if you’d like.”

Mildred nodded and together they walked into the room. There were owls on branches, cats playing or sitting on cushions, frogs sat on wet rocks, even the odd lizard peered down from a high branch. 

“Trust your instincts. You’ll know when you see them,” said Pippa.

Mildred took a deep breath and walked the room. She looked at all the creatures and was tempted by a cat. She had always wanted one but none of them spoke to her. She looked to the owls. Again, none of them beckoned her closer. The frogs were cool. Not quite what she was looking for and when she looked to the lizards, she felt a nudge against her leg. Half expecting to see a curious feline, she was greeted with the large silver eyes of a wolf pup.

Kneeling down, she held out her hand to it and it quickly licked her palm before barking and leaping around in circles. Before Mildred could say anything the wolf pup leapt into her arms, licking at her face. Laughing, she held it her arms and turned to Pippa, “This one. Definitely this one.”

Pippa opened her mouth to say that wasn’t one of their familiars. “A wolf pup?” She frowned, thinking back to when they got the familiars, she hadn’t seen the pup before. “Are you sure?”

“Definitely,” nodded Mildred.

“Okay,” agreed Pippa, “What’s her name?”

Mildred didn’t know how the name came to her but it felt right. “Keres.”

****

The pup grew faster than anyone expected but it stayed true to Mildred’s side, following the young witch everywhere and surprisingly the wolf listened to the young witch. It would sit or lay by her feet during lessons, help out during potions, and always watched with a carefully trained eye when broomstick lessons were underway.

Dimity noted the wolf during one particular lesson. Something about the beast was different. She was trying to figure out what exactly was different when Pippa appeared beside her.

“How go lessons?”

“Good, great, actually,” said Dimity. Her eyes shifting to look at her students but she kept the wolf in corner of her eye. “Keres grew up fast.”

Pippa hummed in agreement. She looked at the wolf with its midnight blue fur and somehow as if it knew she was there it turned to look at her with its full undivided attention. There was something about those silver eyes that made her reach up and grasp the pendant watch around her neck. “Are you afraid of her?”

Dimity looked at her friend, mildly confused before shaking her head, “No, but there is no denying something’s different about that creature. Julie was somewhat shaken when she met the pup. She says the eyes feel like they can see right through you.”

“Keres is a unique breed,” was all Pippa could say even though she had attempted to research just what breed the wolf pup had been but no one knew.

“Are you going out to the cottage during the holidays?”

“Yes,” sighed Pippa, “I could use some relaxation.”

Dimity laughed, “I know what you mean. I’m taking Julie to Switzerland. She’s always wanted to ski the Alps.” 

“Is this a romantic venture?” Pippa raised an eyebrow.

“Only if you’re willing to take Mildred.”

Pippa’s smile widened, “Consider it done.”

“Wait, what?”

But it was too late. Pippa had already transferred away. 

****

It took a bit of coaxing but eventually Julie caved, letting Mildred and Keres stay with Pippa at the cottage over the winter holidays but Julie promised to be back for Christmas and New Years which was fine with both of them. Mildred actually repeatedly talked her mother into taking the trip with Dimity and leaving her behind with Pippa. She hadn’t wanted to go skiing. That was just boring and Switzerland…well that was boring too. Mildred missed the cottage. And her friends, especially Enid, were coming up with things she could look for while there. Anything relating to HB that might help their spell. 

They had discovered another spell that could be done during the spring festival and since then they’d be together again, it was definitely worth trying but this spell was way more complex as it required carefully cultivated bee magic, slivers of silk string woven during the full moon, and a very personal item from the person they were trying to locate. 

Enid was going to Asia during the winter holidays because her parents had work there and she could definitely look for the slivers of silk string. Maud was going down south. Her parents had always wanted to visit South America so she would look out for some of the bee magic. It was a particular interest of her father’s and she was sure he’d help out. Which left Mildred with collecting a personal item of HB’s, and what better place to look than the cottage.

Mildred got out of the car and took a deep breath of the sea air and smiled. She missed the cottage. Looking up at the observatory she half expected to see HB standing in the room but instead the curtains greeted her. Silently she repeated the vow to get the witch back before letting Keres out from the back seat. The wolf barked and ran into the back yard then ran back. It was good to stretch the legs. 

“Anything I can take?” asked Mildred, walking to the trunk where her godmother was unloading their bags.

“Whatever you can manage but first,” Pippa handed over the keys, “Unlock the door.”

Mildred took the keys and raced up the steps, Keres at her side. She was about to unlock the door when Keres barked and the door swung open of its own accord. “Uh…” she looked back at Pippa but Keres barked again and went inside. The wolf looked at her with unreadable silver eyes. Suddenly it dawned on Mildred, just like the wolf’s name, “You know HB.”

The wolf gave a nod.

“Can you find something personal of hers?” 

Keres sniffed the air of the cottage before giving a light sneeze then nodded.

“I’ll hold you to it. Go, I’ll help Pippa.”

Once the bags were carried inside and the two of them got settled, Pippa began making dinner in the kitchen. Mildred offered to help but there was a sadness in her godmother that she couldn’t quite place and suspected it had something to do with the ghost not being in the cottage anymore. Pippa refused her help, saying Mildred was free to do whatever she wanted but to come back in an hour when dinner would be ready.

Instead the young witch went looking for her wolf and found her sitting in the observatory. The door wide open as if she was waiting for Mildred. She’d never been in the observatory before. The fact that the door was open was causing her heart to hammer in her chest. She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see Pippa on the stairs sensing the door open but her godmother was still in the kitchen and so she quickly stepped into the observatory and gasped when she looked at the ceiling.

The star covered ceiling was moving, the planets rotating ever so slightly, and she felt the same magic she had felt those four years ago at the cottage when HB was alive and not a ghost. It confirmed what Mildred always knew: HB was alive.

****

The holidays were quiet, peace, relaxing. Pippa helped her with a series of spells and to better understand potions. It was her weakest subject and Pippa had made the light hearted comment of the different teachers not helping the matter. The way she said it made Mildred suspect her godmother knew who was behind it but neither pressed the subject which made Mildred think it was okay. Because the position wasn’t supposed to be filled by any of those old, nasty witches. No, no, they both realized the cottage’s ghost was supposed to be there at the school with them. But such a thought hung over them in silence, like a tension neither quite wanted to address.

Still the holidays with Pippa were the best. The three of them often walked the shore and Mildred actually showed her where HB had given her those herbs all those years ago. She saw the faint traces of tears and it was later that night by the fire, with Keres resting her head on Pippa’s lap, that Pippa confessed of remembering it all. She apologized after but Mildred shook it away. She, after all, couldn’t let Pippa forget about HB.

Pippa had called her a blessing and later when she fell asleep on the couch, Keres still nuzzled against her side, Mildred snuck into the observatory. The door gave under her careful opening and she watched the stars and planets moving. This room felt alive with the magic and wonder that belonged to HB. She searched the room. Taking great care to return everything to their proper and exact place as she searched for a personal item belonging to HB.

It was then she noticed the feather quill on the desk. Takin it would be too obvious but she knew it was HB and so Mildred went to work on practicing a duplication spell until she got it just right. Luck was on her side because just as she finished copying them, her mother and Dimity arrived. Stowing the real quill away in her bag and placing the duplicate in the room, she hurried downstairs. Her mother looked happier than ever before and Mildred had the sneaking suspicion that something happened between her and Dimity. It would be a good change, she supposed but right now she was more concerned about her godmother.

Pippa was spending more and more time in the observatory at night. Not leaving it till the early morning hours, wiping away the tears and Mildred cursed under her breath. Silently wishing time would move faster so that she and her friends could attempt the spell. It had to work this time!

When school did resume, the restless waiting for spring was enough to drive the girls up the wall. It was during this time when they received a rather stubborn new potions mistress and whatever they did, prank or ghostly haunting or anything of the sort was shrugged off by the old crone.

“We have to get rid of her,” whispered Enid. It was supposed to be quiet reading time in potions class. “Who in their right mind assigns reading material in a potions class?”

Maud shushed her. “We should be paying attention.”

“No, we should get rid of her. Look at that old bat!”

“Enid!”

“Maud!”

“Shush both of you,” snapped Mildred under her breath. She didn’t like the new potions mistress either. Miss Darkside. Ugh, she was as stubborn as they came and more strict than any of the others. Worst of all she forced Mildred to keep Keres outside of the classroom and Mildred didn’t want to complain to Pippa too much because the fifth year anniversary of HB’s disappearance was coming up. She didn’t want to burden her with more. “Tonight’s the first of spring. We’ll meet at the tower.”

“We have detention tonight,” reminded Maud.

“Do you want to help us or not?” hissed Enid.

“We’re already on probation.”

“Whatever,” Enid pulled a handful of small balls from her pocket. “I was saving these for later. But old stick in the mud is not making this easy.”

“Enid, put those away!” Maud’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

Mildred frowned, “What are those?”

“Chinese fireballs,” grinned Enid.

“We cannot blow up the potions lab!” Maud said, her voice growing slightly louder before she dropped it again.

“We can if it gets HB back tonight with this spell. You have the bee magic. I have the silk string woven at moonlight, and Millie?”

“I have a personal item,” nodded Mildred. When she had shown the quill to her friends there were all impressed, especially Enid who said it was a really, really old one. They didn’t make them like that anymore because those were made during ancient times where a witch or wizard infused their magic into it.

“So?”

Mildred took a minute to think it over. She looked at Miss Darkside who was droning on and on about some boring property of a newt’s eye even though they already covered that at the beginning of the term but Miss Darkside decided to start from the very beginning and she was even threatening to hold the entire class back just because of the numerous teachers they had gone through. “I’m in.”

Maud gulped, knowing she didn’t really have a choice. “We better not get suspended.”

“These can’t be traced back to us,” said Enid, “I got them on the black market after sneaking out of the hotel. What? I was bored waiting in the hotel all the time.”

The girls quickly came up with a plan. Slowly they threw or rolled the balls into various places of the room. Felicity had noticed Mildred with one of the balls when she tried getting it from under her chair but Mildred signalled her to be quiet. Luckily for her Felicity aided in moving the ball where it was supposed to go. No one liked Miss Darkside.

Several minutes later, smoke poured in every direction and Miss Darkside ushered everyone outside. Seconds before she was about to leave, a giant fire dragon appeared, setting the lab on fire. At some point Miss Darkside screamed when the others activated and she rushed outside just as the entire potions lab exploded.

“Enough!” barked Miss Darkside. “Enough, enough! I’ve had it. This position is cursed!” She threw her hands up in the air, summoned her hat and broom before sticking an envelope against the door and disappeared.

Pippa and the other staff members came rushing down the hall. “What happened? Is everyone alright?”

“We’re fine,” said Felicity, “Miss Darkside made the potions lab explode and I think she just quit.”

Pippa’s shoulders dropped at the sight of the envelope. “Not another one.” She left out a heavy sigh.

That night the girls stole away to the tower but this time they were followed by Felicity and after a quick explanation, she agreed to help them. When asked why, she sighed dreamily and said it was like true love being reunited. Keres stared at the young witch and shook her muzzle. They hoped that with the aid of another, this spell would work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left. Very exciting  
> I can confirm one thing that the ending will not be angsty. Promise. I've had this ending in sight for quite some time. I promise not to let any of you down (hopefully)  
> Stay great, my lovelies  
> I'll see you in the last and final chapter


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is the final chapter  
> All mistakes are my own

The sand caused her fingers to dig deeper before curling. Slowly the dark haired woman lying on the shore under the full spring moon stirred. The sand was surprisingly warm. The air crisp in its sudden appearance. The waves gently lapping at the shore a small distance away. Her head and limbs felt heavy. Everything was weighed down by invisible lead and while she couldn’t move at first, her eyelids fluttered when the warm scent of roses were carried toward her. Still, she found her body refusing to acknowledge what her foggy mind was saying and not even she could hear her thoughts. Everything was blocked out by the gentle lapping waves.

It wasn’t until the cold nose of an animal touched her cheek. Then she felt thick fur nuzzling her cheek. A whine drew her attention away from the waves. As her eyes fluttered open and she blinked several times to open them, impossible dark brown eyes met silver eyes.

“Keres?” the weak tone ushered from her throat which felt raw and dry from disuse.

The wolf nuzzled her cheek again before nudging her hand. The woman slowly, stiffly moved her fingers, opening them from the fist, feeling the coarse sand leave her skin. It took time and patience but the wolf remained at her side as the woman began to move her body. When she rolled over, she looked up at the star covered sky but some of the stars were dim and felt further away and when her eyes darted around she knew it was because of the full moon.

“Spring,” she said softly, feeling the uncomfortable tickle in her throat. She wanted to stay here and rest some more. Exhaustion tugged at her body and mind, coaxing her back in, inviting and ever present. But the wolf kept nudging her shoulder, awaking her, annoying her until she sat up.

Her head swayed from the movement followed by the soft growl of her stomach. She froze and looked down. Her clothes were her own, her hands were her own but her stomach had just growled and it was then she realized for the first time in centuries that she was actually hungry. She looked at the wolf. Her hand burying into its thick midnight blue fur. “Keres,” she greeted her wolf, “You survived.”

Keres barked, wagging her tail, and pressing her forehead against the witch’s. When the wolf drew back, she licked across her face.

The woman stared in disbelief because she felt that. She still felt it, the wetness, the slobber running down her cheek. “I’m alive,” she whispered.

It was then the wolf tackled her, licking her face before leaping around the woman, barking happily until she rose to her feet and looked at her surroundings. This was the shore line to the sea and sure enough when she turned around there was the paved set of stairs leaving up most likely to the cottage.

When she got closer, the witch noticed the steps were redone. Her heart hammered in her chest at the memory flashing through her mind. “Pippa,” she whispered and then held her hand against her chest. Sure enough her heart hammered wildly there, very much alive, very much present. 

She took her time climbing the stairs. The air quickly left her lungs and with her body still exhausted, a feeling she never thought she’d miss but did, it took time before she was standing at the front of the cottage. She senses Pippa’s magic, ward most likely, placed around the cottage and smiled. 

Summoning forth a light, the magic reinvigorated her, it was diving into icy cold water, and soon enough it bristled beneath her skin, tingling everywhere and confirming the very fact she didn’t quite want to believe. She was alive.

Hecate Hardbroom was alive.

****

“Blowing up a potions lab, unauthorized magic in the tower, turning the storage cabinets into a swampy marsh, need I go on?” asked Julie Hubble, her arms crossed over her chest. “What has gotten into you? Is there anything else I should know about?"

The girls kept their heads down, not willing to look up at the angry adults especially their parents. It had been a week since they performed the spell and Pippa, in her bid not to find a new potions mistress until the term was over, started teaching potions herself. Problem with having your headmistress and god mother teaching the class was when Maud and Enid started arguing and just happened to mention the incident of last week, well everything came to a head. 

Mildred nervously twisted her fingers. She probably shouldn't tell them but at this point everything was out in the open. "We stole the Eye of Kronos."

"What?"

"It's not like it was guarded or anything. It was there," said Enid.

"It belonged to the museum!" Julie threw her hands up in frustration, "How can you even think to steal a priceless artifact from the museum."

"It wasn't that hard," muttered Enid almost disbelieving that the adults thought they pulled off the impossible. 

"We needed it," said Mildred.

"For what?"

Mildred shrunk back and shook her head. "We can't tell you."

"Unbelievable," Julie shook her head. 

Silence fell in the office as no one knew what to say. Pippa looked at each of the girls and it wasn't surprising none of them would meet her gaze. What could they have possibly been working on? "Each of you will receive detention for a month and placed under a strict curfew. No magic will be done without the supervision of myself or any member of the staff. Your work wil be completed in a classroom and the next person to apply for the potions position will not be removed by any of you. Is that understood?"

The girls nodded hesitantly after stealing glances at one another. 

"Return to your rooms," said Pippa, "Wait, the book, Mildred, if you'd please."

Mildred was reluctant to pull the book from her bag because she knew it would give all their plans away but she had no choice. Reaching into her bag, she pulled the leather spell book out and placed it on Pippa's desk. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I tried, I really did but I don't think it worked."

Defeated the three friends left the office, leaving behind confused parents and teachers alike. Pippa's attention, however, was on the book and the feel of the familiar leather under her fingertips. When she opened the front page, her heart gave a terrible squeeze at the sight of the writing that could only belong to a single witch. 

She spent a sleepless night, staring at the book, thumbing through the pages, reading and rereading the spell the girls had attempted. The thought was sweet but it was impossible to bring back the dead. It was a troubling realization that dawned on Pippa even though she didn't want to believe it but with the fifth year drawing closer, it was getting harder and harder to keep the hope alive. No matter how much her heart kept whispering.

It was during the early dawn hours when Pippa, exhausted and defeated with a heavy heart, rose from her desk and made her way to the bathroom. It would be a long day. Her heart wasn't quite in for teaching the lesson plan she had drafted up but her students needed her. What she didn't catch was the bouquet of large, deep red roses appearing on her desk. The very same roses that grew in the backyard of her cottage.

****

Hecate leaned against the kitchen's counter, crawling a cup of tea in her hands. Her recovery was going well but the magic she used to get through the wards undefeated had drained her further. It almost felt like being at home. She made plenty of use in the observatory, even summoned back her quill. The spell used to bring her back was weak at best but even its thin silvers were able to reach her. In the deep dark recesses, she heard the calling like a steady drowning buzzing and in turn she moved towards it. But it was all fuzzy in her head. She remembered destroying the essence of reality for good this time at the cost of her own life. She shouldn't be here.

Part of her was worried this was a terrible, Mocking dream pulled by what remained in the cosmic universe, that she wasn't actually alive but trapped in a limbo like prison. It was this thought that made her bundle together the most beautiful roses she could find in the backyard and send them to Pippa. The school was easy enough to locate, given the notes and folders Pippa kept neatly tucked away in the living room. Sending them there had left a bit of a hole given how her body and magic were still recuperating. It was a daily struggle because she hadn't been whole in centuries instead constantly divided between realms.

Hecate wondered how she could be here. Everything pointed not only to the flimsy spell but the very beating of her heart. She was flesh and blood made whole but as she had told Pippa back in the fae realm, she didn't deserve a second chance.

Keres looked up from the floor and gave the witch a questioning gaze. 

She shook her head. She would wait a bit longer before venturing out into this new unknown world to see if this was a limbo or reality. 

****

Four months since the girls performed the spell and still there was nothing out of the ordinary happening. The girls served their detentions even though they had fallen back into being well behaved, their curfew was still in place and none of them dared sneak out at night because Pippa had placed tracking spells on them. The potions mistress position was still open and each time a new witch appeared to apply, the three friends snuck around to see if she would be staying. Even a few wizards applied but for some unknown reason Pippa turned all of them away. 

They were walking the grounds, feeling defeated and worried and a bit anxious. The sun was high in the sky. Spring was giving way to summer with the temperatures growing warmer each day. When Felicity came running toward them. "Mildred, Mildred," she yelled.

"What is it, Felicity?"

"There's someone at the gates. Come on," she grabbed Mildred by the wrist and began pulling her toward the front gates.

When the girls arrived, they saw a tall, dark haired woman standing, looking up at the height of the castle. She turned when she heard the students approaching, raising an eyebrow at the defeated faces that turned to surprise and shock. 

"Perhaps you'd be so kind to escort me to your headmistress," said Hecate.

None of the friends said anything until Felicity leaned over and whispered, "Is that HB?"

Mildred nodded, her mouth still hanging open.

"Are we a goldfish or a witch, Mildred Hubble?" Hecate watched the young girl snap her mouth shut before she summoned a parchment scroll. "I read here Pentangles is in desperate need of a potions mistress," she said as her magic unrolled the scroll before looking at the students, "Unless, of course, the position has already been filled."

"No!" came from the girls when the witch turned to leave. Shaking the shock from their heads, Mildred stepped forward, "Please follow us, Miss?"

"Hardbroom." Her lips quirked up in the barest of smiles. 

Curious students who were playing on the grounds or reading, stared at the tall, dark dressed witch who emitted a quiet, powerful magic and somehow all of them felt this new wave of magic reaching out. It was different from other witches who visited the grounds in hopes of finding a teaching position and it was vastly different from the magic their current staff held. 

There were some teachers outside, observing the newcomer but none stepped forward to introduce themselves. Something in the powerful magic kept them at bay and the respective given was near automatic for the magic felt old, was old, was undeniably powerful. A fact that cemented itself the more they saw of the dark witch.

It took a short time to make it to the headmistress's office. Conversations fell silent as students and adult looked at the newcomer but Hecate paid them no heed, her mind on the blonde witch hiding out in her office. 

Mildred entered the office by herself after knocking. "Um... There's someone here for the potions position," she said softly.

Pippa looked up from her paperwork and sighed. She had forgotten about removing the advert and honestly didn't want to deal with another supply witch or wizard. Rubbing her temples, she gave a strained smile, "Send them in."

Mildred wanted to say more but decided against it. What she and her friends had done was still something heavy in the school and it wasn't talked about. At least not yet. 

Pippa returned her attention to the paperwork at hand when her goddaughter left. She waited till she heard the door open and didn't bother looking up. "I must warn you the position seems to be cursed. It's best if you back out now."

"I'm sure you'll find I'm quite unlike previous applicants."

Her quill stopped above the parchment, ink dripping down as her hand trembled. She knew that voice, that deep, husky tone and she swallowed the lump in her throat as she dared herself to look up. Her heart raced when she locked eyes with her ghost. "Hecate," the name a breathless whisper on her lips. 

Hecate gave a soft, warm smile and inclined her head slightly in a greeting, "Pippa."

The blonde witch rose to her feet, her hands touching the desk for fear of her knees giving out. "Is this a dream?" she couldn't help voice so softly into the quietness of the office. 

"I don't believe so," said Hecate, "I mean the thought had crosses my mind yet I believe this is quite real." Her eyes shifted to the bouquet of roses on the desk, "I see you got my roses."

"From my backyard," smiled Pippa.

"Our backyard," corrected Hecate then her eyes widened, "Well that is... if you'd..." Her words trailed off.

Suddenly Pippa was standing in front of her, her hands reached out to grasp her ghost's and she gave a watery chuckle. "I want nothing more," whispered the witch before pulling the other into her arms. Her hold tightened when she felt the warm body pressed against hers.

Hecate was surprised at the action then smiled softly into the blonde hair and wrapped her arms around Pippa's waist. It was Pipa who pulled back first but ever so slightly as she wove her fingers through the long dark locks. Her thumb came forward to brush the soft skin of her cheek.

"Pippa," said Hecate, "I never got the chance to say it during the chaos before but I do well and truly love you."

Pippa was elated at hearing those very words that she leaned closer and pressed her lips against Hecate's. The kiss was returned without hesitation and for once everything sank into place. This was reality. She had been given a second chance and in her very arms was the love of her life. Nothing could have ever convinced her such an outcome lay on her horizon. 

When the kiss ended, their foreheads rested together, both of the. smiling sweetly.

"About that job," started Hecate getting a laugh from the other witch.

"Oh, it is hell," said Pippa, "Pranks, disasters, last time the lab was blown up by black market Chinese fireballs."

"Sounds like untapped potential that simply needs to be redirected."

"You're not afraid of children?"

"Quite the contrary, they can be some of the fittest minds in the world." Hecate shrugged, "Besides we both know those responsible were doing so until I returned."

"You sound so convinced of that."

"I had a reason to come back didn't I?"

Pippa smiled before capturing the dark haired witch’s lips in another passionate kiss.

****

The end of the school year was upon them and sure enough when Hecate started teaching potions, she not only caught all of them to speed in record time but also kept each and every student engaged. She tailored the lessons best suited to each individual mind. How, Pippa didn't know but somehow the witch just knew which method was best fit for tapping into each potential magic. 

Mildred flourished under the firm but ever guiding watchful eye of Hecate Hardbroom. Even Enid paid closer attention especially given how Hecate always knew when and where a prank was about to be ushered forth and prevented it or on occasion redirecting it at Dimity Drill. There was something of a small rivalry between them not that Hecate would ever admit to such a thing and personally Pippa thought her love simply enjoyed scaring the sporting witch whenever the chance presented itself.

"Your ghost huh?" commented Julie on the last day of school.

Pippa felt a soft blush touch her cheeks but smiled, "Yes, not much of a ghost now."

"I see that," Julie nudged her best friend, "Now she still scares me but she's good for you. I'll admit that much. She's good for this school too. Mildred's flourishing under her teaching."

"I've been thinking of making her my deputy," commented Pippa as she waved at several students who were already setting off for home. When she looked back down she found Hecate and Mildred walking toward them. Mildred chatting animatedly about something. 

"You're in a good mood," said Julie to the dark haired witch.

"It's been a long time since I've had the chance to enjoy summer." Hecate allowed Pippa to interlace their fingers, giving her hand a light squeeze.

Mildred laughed, "That and Dimity tripped over her broom."

"It appears the Star of the Sky is better on a broom than walking," commented Hecate dryly.

"You didn't-" gasped Pippa before laughing softly.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're insinuating but I assure you I had nothing to do with the stumble."

"Dimity also fell off her broom when HB showed up during the last lesson," chuckled Mildred.

"Honestly, must you scare her so much?" asked Julie.

Hecate arched an eyebrow, "She is a witch is she not? And if she would stop going on about being the Star of the Sky, honestly what a ridiculous notion, perhaps she'd actually stay on top of the object she claims to have mastered."

"Oh you." Pippa shook her head before pulling the dark haired witch closer, "Ready to go home?"

Hecate smiled and raised her hand. The two of them transferred away, missing out the shouted words of Julie who said they'd be dropping by for a visit next month with Keres.

Julie sighed and Mildred gave her a hug. They waited for Dimity then left together as a family. For once everything was right in the world but none of them noticed the ever so faint spark take place high in the sky, next to the sun, invisible to everyone but it was Keres and Hecate who felt the light traces though such things went ignored.

For once Hecate focused on the peace and the happiness in her heart as she and Pippa entered their cottage, laughing and kissing while the gentle waves of the sea rolled along the shore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been an amazing adventure. I really enjoyed writing this. It was a pleasant distraction and I want to thank everyone who came along for the ride. Thank you to everyone who left behind kudos, comments, or simply read it. Thank you for your time and your patience. Thank you for loving this story (even if there were parts that you didn't enjoy). I just can't thank everyone enough. It was fun and great and a blast.  
> Now I think it might be time to go back to my other story which I've been stuck on for quite some time.  
> Review if you want to or don't, up to you guys. You're fantastic either way  
> Stay true to your heart, my lovely readership.  
> I'll see you around

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for joining me in the first chapter, wonderful readers. See you in the next one. Stay awesome!


End file.
